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Sunday 30 September 2012

As crimes against Dalits rise, UP tops the chart -



Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 28.09.12
 
As crimes against Dalits rise, UP tops the chart - Zee News
Hisar gangrape: Family demands employment for victim, brother  - IBN Live
Rs 20K aid for SC,ST students in Kerala - The Times Of India
SC/ST Commission to bring justice to gangrape victim - One India
 
Zee News
 
As crimes against Dalits rise, UP tops the chart
 
Last Updated: Friday, September 28, 2012, 16:44
 
Does Haryana top the list of states in atrocities against Scheduled Castes as asserted by PL Punia? The chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes' statement came in the wake of Hisar Dalit gangrape case.
 
"Anti-Dalit atrocities have been taking place on a large-scale in Haryana. While the state is small, in the proportion of the crimes, that is, crimes per lakh of population, Haryana tops the list," Punia was quoted as saying in an interview to a leading business daily.
 
But, government data sourced from the latest National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) Report 2011 by the Zee Research Group shows that Haryana doesn't even figure in the top three states that have registered highest crimes against Dalits in 2011 under two crime categories: Indian Penal Code and Special Local Laws, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The latter is a special law and applies to cases where atrocity has been committed against a Dalit by an upper caste for reasons primarily of caste difference.
 

In the first category, the dubious distinction has been earned by Uttar Pradesh – also the state with highest number of Scheduled Caste population. With 7,702 cases out of the total 33,719, the state alone accounted for 22.8 percent of crime against SCs under the Indian Penal Code and Special Local Laws. Uttar Pradesh is being followed by Rajasthan with 5,182 cases, i.e. 15.4 percent. Andhra Pradesh with 4,016 cases (11.9 percent) and Bihar with 3,623 cases (10.7 percent) trail behind Rajasthan in that order. Haryana is only 1.2 percent, way below these states.

NCRB data also points that crimes under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, is rising across the country. A total of 11,342 cases were reported under this Act during 2011 as compared to 10,513 in 2010 – a sharp increase of 7.9 percent over the previous year. Among states, Bihar has reported highest 3,024 cases accounting for 26.7 percent of the total cases reported in the country leaving behind Uttar Pradesh (17.6 percent) and Andhra Pradesh (12.7 percent) which otherwise lead in overall crimes against Dalits.
 
Another worrying trend apparent from the NCRB data is growing cases of rape of women belonging to SCs. From 1,349 cases in 2010, rape incidences of Dalit women have jumped to 1,557 in 2011 thereby registering an increase of 15.4 percent. Here again, Uttar Pradesh has reported highest 397 incidences of rape thereby accounting for 25.5 percent of the total cases in the country. Madhya Pradesh closely follows Uttar Pradesh with 327 cases i.e. 21 percent of the total cases in the country.
 
The above data clearly contradicts Punia's statement as Haryana is way behind Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh when it comes to atrocities against SCs. However, the recent spurt in crimes targeting the marginalised and lower castes in Haryana including through khap justice suggests that roots of caste-based discrimination remain firmly entrenched in Indian society.
 
The women especially minor girls become easy prey for offenders who more than often get support from self-proclaimed feudalistic social orders. The malaise can be uprooted with stringent implementation of laws and creating social awareness rather than generalised statements to score brownie points.
 
IBN Live
 
Hisar gangrape: Family demands employment for victim, brother
 
Hisar: The family of the dalit girl, who was allegedly gangraped in Dabra village, on Friday demanded government employment for her and her brother.
 
They made this demand at the condolence meeting of Krishan, the girl's father who committed suicide by consuming poison on September 18 apprehending public humiliation.
 
They also urged the government to provide them residential accommodation at Hisar and said it was very difficult for them to stay in the village after the incident.
 
Community members in the village and representatives of several dalit organisations took part in the condolence
 
ceremony, also attended by Rajendra Sura, president of Hisar Zila Parishad.
 
Later, Congress MP Ashok Tanwar met the aggrieved family and consoled them.
 
Assuring all help, he asked the family to submit their demands and problems in writing to the Deputy Commissioner and give a copy to him.
 
Tanwar directed the administration to give a detailed report on atrocities against dalits in the district.
The girl, a student of Class XII, was allegedly gangraped by youths about a fortnight ago in Patel Nagar area.
 
They threatened to make public her objectionable pictures, after which her father, a labourer, committed suicide.
 
The Times Of India
 
Rs 20K aid for SC,ST students in Kerala
 
TNN | Sep 28, 2012, 04.40AM IST
 
KOZHIKODE: The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 20,000 to SC/ST students who scored high marks in higher secondary examinations to enable them to attend coaching programmes for admission to professional courses, said minister for welfare of scheduled castes and backward communities A P Anil Kumar.
 
Inaugurating the two-day workshop on student empowerment for SC/ST students of the Calicut University at the university seminar complex on Thursday, he said government would also take steps to provide assistance to SC/ST students who had secured admission to self-financing educational institutions.
 
The minister said the SC/ST communities in the state had achieved considerable progress when compared to many other states in the country.
 
One India
 
SC/ST Commission to bring justice to gangrape victim
 
Updated: Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 16:31 [IST]
Posted by: Maitreyee
 
New Delhi, Sept 25: The brutal gangrape episode in Hisar has raised national outrage. Even after passage of 17 days, only two arrests have been made by the police. Rest of the ten culprits are still absconding. The second arrest in the case was made on Monday, Sept 24.
 
Now, the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Commission has decided to investigate the matter. The intervention by SC/ST commission has brought some hope for the family members of the 16-year-old victim. The tragedy of the family did not end with the rape of their daughter. After the incident, father of the minor girl committed suicide as he could not get any help from police and administration. The victim belongs to Dalit community.
 
Delay in arrest of the perpetrators of the crime has raised a question mark on the efficiency of the police department. Many have alleged that the police have deliberately delayed arrests to protect the culprits, who are said to belong to power group of the society.
 
Accusing the police of delaying arrest of culprits, a relative of the victim said that while offenders were scot-free, the entire family was suffering.
 
"Why the police is taking so long to arrest the culprits? We want prompt action and justice for the victim and her family," said a female relative of the victim.
 
Earlier, the entire village of Dabra in Hisar, Haryana had come together to demand justice for the gangrape victim. The villagers staged a protest rally against police inaction to solve the case in Hisar on Sunday.
 
The teenage girl was allegedly raped by a group of "upper caste" men. The victim, a student of Class XII, was gangraped while she was going to meet her maternal uncle in Patel Nagar area of the district, police said.
 
The culprits were said to have videotaped the entire incident and circulated MMS after the horrific crime.
 
A case was registered by the police under Sections 376 and 306 of IPC (rape and abatement to suicide).     ----OneIndia News
 
 

--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and  intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.


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