Investigate
murder of Dalit youths, activists urge NHRC
Mumbai, Jan 31, 2013, DHNS:
Human rights activists on Thursday urged the National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) to probe the hacking of three Dalit youths belonging
to Mehtar community (manual scavenger) at a remote hamlet in Ahmednagar
district in Maharashtra in early January.
The NHRC members were in Mumbai briefing about the findings
of the atrocities on Dalits in the Vidarbha region when activists apprised them
of their findings in the triple murder committed by upper caste people.
Talking to Deccan Herald, advocate Priyadarshi Telang of
“Manuski” (a Pune-based organisation fighting for Dalit rights) said the police
were dragging their feet in the case and they took into custody five persons
only after a furor. “The way murders were carried out indicates that over five
persons participated in the killings,” she added.
As per the case, in the first week of January, police recovered
mutilated bodies of three youths in their twenties from a septic tank and
fields in Nevasa taluka of Ahmednagar. The victims: Sandeep Thanwar, Sachin
Gharu and Rahul Kandare, according to case papers, had migrated to Kharwandi,
Ganeshwadi in Ahmednagar to work as manual scavengers in a local school.
Post-mortem of the bodies revealed that the youths were
probably strangulated and their limbs were chopped off before one of them was
dumped in a septic tank and other two in a nearby field.
Though the police, after much hesitation and at the insistence of human rights
activists, rounded up five persons on grounds that one of the victims– Sachin
Gharu–was reportedly having an affair with a girl belonging to an “upper-caste”
family, the investigations have not been able to zero-in on the exact motive
behind the gruesome killings.
Talking about the meeting with NHRC members, advocate
Telang said: “ We have demanded that more intensive enquiries and
investigations need to be done in the case and for putting up the case in a
fast-track court apart from an adequate compensation to the family members of
the victims.”
Related Story :
The Hindustan Times
Dalit murders a fallout of love affair, say police
BBC News
Five held for 'honour killings' of
Dalit men in Maharashtra
The Hindu
Dalit professor beaten up in Dhule
Staff Reporter
The
college authorities will write to the Vice-Chancellor of the NMU, asking him to
derecognise the Senate members for instigating violence.
A month after the communal riots in
Dhule, VHP, Bajrang Dal activists beat up a Dalit professor there on Wednesday
for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. The incident took
place inside the premises of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Social Work.
A few weeks ago a number of students submitted a written complaint against
Professor Pramod Bhumbe to the principal of the college for allegedly making
derogatory remarks about Lord Ram. While the Hindu organisations called for the
professor’s expulsion, the administration asked him to submit a written
explanation. “We followed the enquiry process. We, as management of the
college, apologised to the students on [the] professor’s behalf. The concerned
professor also extended an unconditional apology to the students. We even
performed a puja in the village Ram temple and made peace,” Prof. R.S. Mahajan,
the principal, told The Hindu.
In spite of the apology, a group came
to the college looking for the professor. “Around six to seven activists, in
spite of our entreaties went in search of Bhumbe, who was sitting in the
library. They dragged him out, beat him up and threw him down from the staircase,”
Prof. Mahajan said. According to him, the group was led by Senate members of
the North Maharashtra University (NMU).
Following the incident, a complaint
was lodged at the Dhule taluka police station. Ram Somwanshi of the station
told The Hindu that six people had been arrested and booked under
several sections of IPC and under sections of The Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Meanwhile, the college authorities
will write to the Vice-Chancellor of the NMU, asking him to derecognise the
Senate members for instigating violence.
Express
India
School kids skip mid-day meal cooked
by Dalit woman
Satish Jha
Ahmedabad
Schoolchildren of Valiyampura village in Talod taluka of Sabarkantha district
have been skipping mid-day meal for the past few weeks, apparently because it
is cooked by a Dalit woman who was appointed as a helper in the school only
last month.
The woman alleges that students of
other castes have refused to eat the food prepared by her as asked by their
parents.
The primary school of Valiyampura
village has about 176 students. Of the 1,000-odd people living in the village,
most are Patels and Thakores. There are around 20 households of Dalits.
According to Bhavna Jasubhai Vankar
(42), students have stopped eating the mid-day meal ever since she joined on
December 26, 2012.
“The villagers do not want me to touch
the vessels I clean because of my caste. After I took the charge as a helper,
the students refused to eat. Today, only those students who are from my caste
eat,” Vankar said on phone.
When contacted, principal Jayantibhai
Patel, who is on leave, said the situation had improved but added that angry
villagers had threatened him after Bhavnaben’s appointment and declared they
would stop sending their children to the school.
“I sent a report on this to the my
senior officials. I also told the villagers that Bhavnaben was just a helper
appointed by the mamlatdar. But they did not listen and their children refused
eating. But now I have come to know that the situation is better,” he said.
Sabarkantha collector Shah Meena
Husain said the incident was being probed. She said a team of senior officials
had visited the school and recorded the statement of Bhavnaben. “We are
verifying facts. My officials have told me there is no truth to the allegations.
She (Bhavna) had been absent from the school for a few days. At present, the
school does not have any problem. We will take action against the guilty if we
find any truth in the allegations,” she said.
Indian
Express
Police
not filing FIRs on Dalits' complaints in Maharashtra: NHRC
PTI :
Mumbai, Thu Jan 31 2013, 20:47 hrs
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today asked
Maharashtra government to ensure that FIRs are registered on receipt of
complaints of atrocities against Dalits.
NHRC chairperson Justice (retd) K G Balkrishnan told
reporters here that during the three-day visit of the commission and public
hearings on complaints of violations of the rights of Scheduled Castes members,
it came to light that in most such cases, police do not register the First
Information Report (after which the probe starts).
"We have told the state Chief Secretary and Director
General of Police to ensure that FIRs are registered after receiving complaint
and then investigate the case," he said, adding that lapses will not be
tolerated.
Balkrishnan also said that NGOs told him that State Human
Rights Commission Chairperson's post was vacant and then meeting of the State
Vigilance Committee had not taken place for a long time.
"The NGOs also told the commission about the subhuman
conditions of slum dwellers in Mumbai. We were told that there was massive
corruption in the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and basic amenities are not
provided to the slum-dwellers."
Social activist Medha Patkar asked the commission to make
an inquiry into the housing rights of Dalits. An NGO pointed out that
'Dispute-Free Village' scheme (under which the villages where no police complaints
are received are rewarded) was prejudicial to the interests of the scheduled
castes.
About the molestation of women constables during the Azad
Maidan violence in Mumbai last year, Justice Balkrishnan said the commission
had not received any complaint in this regard.
He also said no complaints were received regarding recent
atrocities against Dalits in Satara and Ahmednagar districts.
Justice Balkrishnan also said that the commission had asked
the state government to increase the number of courts for speedy trial of cases
of atrocities against the scheduled castes.
"We have also emphasised that citizens should not be
denied their basic rights if they do not have the Aadhar unique identification
number," he said.
The NHRC chairperson also said that the commission was
inquiring into the allegations that police targeted Muslims during the recent
riots in Dhule in north Maharashtra. "We have taken cognisance of the
allegations and inquiry is on," he added.
The
Hindu
Move to provide ‘Kumki’ land to
farmers opposed
Special Correspondent
‘It should be allotted to Dalits in
Udupi and Dakshina Kannada’
The Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Ambedkar
Vaada) has opposed the State government’s decision to provide “Kumki” land to
farmers in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. “Kumki” land is situated
adjacent to the fields of farmers and is used for grazing cattle and growing
grass.
Hovappa Master, convener of the
district unit of DSS, told presspersons here on Wednesday that the government
had announced that it would provide 6,853 hectares of “Kumki” land to 3.09 lakh
farmers in the two districts. But a large majority of these farmers possessed
huge tracts of land ranging from 50 to 60 acres and they were from some upper
castes. The government move would only benefit the “land sharks”.
Instead, the government should allot
land to the Dalits in these two districts under the “Depressed Classes Manna
Bhoomi”. This had been a long pending demand of the Dalits. Many Dalits did not
own land or houses. They were facing hardships. The British government had
conducted a study on the conditions of the depressed classes in the erstwhile
South Canara district in Madras Presidency. After witnessing the pathetic
condition of these classes, the British government, in 1860, decided to reserve
some plots of land in every village for the welfare of the depressed classes.
These plots were called “DC manna bhoomi” in Kannada, he said.
The government should allot these
plots to the Dalits. Even if the Dalits were provided three to five cents of
land, they could build houses. Though a large number of Dalits, agricultural
workers, and persons from minority communities had been living on some plots in
these districts for decades, the government had not taken any step to give
title deeds to them. It was surprising that the Opposition parties were silent
on this issue. The DSS would appeal to Governor H.R. Bhardwaj to prevent the
government from providing “Kumki” land to farmers. The DSS would move court on
this issue, he said.
The other demands of the DSS were
stern action against those using false caste certificates, declaration of
summer vacation in schools to observe Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14, allocation
of funds in the budget for the Dalits on the basis of their population and
cancellation of the contract system.
India Today
Supreme
Court stays arrest of Ashis Nandy for his alleged anti-Dalit remarks
Eminent scholar Ashis Nandy, facing threat of being
arrested for making remarks alleged to be anti-Dalit, on Thursday approached
the Supreme Court of India for quashing of FIR against him.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir agreed to
hear his plea and posted the case for tomorrow.
Seeking an urgent hearing, advocate Aman Lekhi, appearing for Nandy, pleaded
the apex court to intervene in the matter as there is "serious
apprehension" of him being arrested.
"The registration of the FIR is itself an abuse of law and there is
imminent danger of the same being compounded as the petitioner is being denied
of his fundamental rights under Article 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution,
because of the clamour for his immediate arrest from important political
personalities including Mayawati and Chairman SC and ST Commission P L
Punia," the petition, filed through advocate Gaurang Kanth, said.
Nandy, in a panel discussion at Jaipur Literature Festival,
had allegedly said that people belonging to OBCs and SCs/STs were more corrupt.
Later, a case was registered against him under the SC/ST
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Challenging the proceedings, the 76-year-old political
psychologist submitted he is facing a serious threat in the surcharged
environment against him.
"Because of the surcharged environment against him and
the rabid statements made by important political personalities, his physical
safety is itself compromised and there is imminent threat of injury to
him," the petition said.
"In fact there was no mala fide intent or purpose on
the part of the petitioner to make a comment in order to insult or intimidate
with intent to humiliate a member of SC or ST in any place within public
view," he said.
"The lodging of the said FIR against the petitioner
for the alleged offence committed under SC/ST Act is against the basic
principles of the fundamental rights which envisages that free speech is the
foundation of a democratic society," the petition said.
The Times Of India
Provision for women, SC/ ST, local
bodies in Bihar budget
PATNA: Apart from provision of gender
budget like previous years, some new dimensions have been added to the state
budget 2013 which will be presented in the legislature on February 23. The
allocation for the gender budget in different departments will be made. Also
allocation will be made for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and all
the departments linked to the agriculture roadmap.
Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi,
who also holds finance portfolio, said the economic survey will be presented on
February 19. This year budgetary demands of 17 departments will be presented.
"The new dimensions of the budget
will be separate allocation for SC and ST in the plan budget. While the 16% of
the total budget will go for SC welfare 1% will be earmarked for the ST,"
said Modi. He added that separate allocation will also be made for the local
bodies including panchayati raj institutions and municipal bodies.
Since the government has given high
attention on the agriculture and allied sectors, Modi said separate budgetary
allocation will be made to all the departments linked under agriculture roadmap
and it will be separately monitored.
Modi said for the first time since
Independence, Bihar
has spent 60% of the plan size by December end and hopefully the rest of the
amount will be spent by the end of the fiscal 2012-13. He was reacting to the
reports that many departments have failed to utilize the allocation. "As
is practice a good amount is spent by the closure of the financial year as in
many case allocations is made available by the end of the fiscal," he
said.
Modi has already started pre-budget
exercise to seek views of different sections of the society including farmers,
professional and economists.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
नयी दिल्ली। डीजल की बिक्री पर सरकारी तेल कंपनियों को हो रहे घाटे की भरपाई के लिए इसकी कीमतें हर माह 40 से 50 पैसे प्रति लीटर बढायी जाएंगी। देश में पेट्रोलियम र्इंधनों में सबसे ज्यादा खपत डीजल की ही होती है। 
