Two dalits shot dead in a bloody clash in Bundelkhand – The Times Of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Two-dalits-shot-dead-in-a-bloody-clash-in-Bundelkhand/articleshow/49868614.cms
Dalit family attacked, threatened in UP for ‘touching idols’ in temple – The Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/dalit-family-attacked-threatened-in-up-for-touching-idols-in-temple/
Bail plea of teacher dismissed – The Hindu
HYPERLINK “http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/bail-plea-of-teacher-dismissed/article7902182.ece”
Indicate SC/ST status on birth, caste certificates as early as class VIII: Centre to tell states – The Economic Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/indicate-sc/st-status-on-birth-caste-certificates-as-early-as-class-viii-centre-to-tell-states/articleshow/49865742.cms
Reserve contractual jobs for SCs: Govt – The Tribune
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/governance/reserve-contractual-jobs-for-scs-govt/160964.html
No proof required: No time for caste reservations – The Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/no-proof-required-no-time-for-caste-reservations/
Help On Call – Tehelka
http://www.tehelka.com/2015/11/help-on-call/
Please Watch:
Part I – Untouchability & Casteism (Castes) Still EXISTS even Today in India- 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKZxAAAiJdg
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The Times Of India
Two dalits shot dead in a bloody clash in Bundelkhand
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Two-dalits-shot-dead-in-a-bloody-clash-in-Bundelkhand/articleshow/49868614.cms
Nov 21, 2015, 10.43 AM IST
BHOPAL: Two dalits were shot dead while one sustained serious bullet injuries following a fight to stop kidnapping of one member of the dalit family at Mawaighat village, about 120km away from Chhatarpur district of Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh.
The incident took place around 6 in the evening on Friday on the outskirts of the village bordering Banda district of UP. Motive behind the crime is believed to be an old enmity between the two families.
According to RS Sen, SHO of Gaurihar police station, incident took place when Kallo Patel, 48, and his six accomplices were abducting Rakesh Khangar,30. When other members of Khangar family learnt about it, they rushed and tried to stop Kalloo.
Police said Kallo opened fire killing Ayodhya 60, father of Rakesh and his brother Daulat , on the spot.
Around 10.30pm, Rakesh recorded his statement to police and was referred to district hospital in Chhatarpur.
The Indian Express
Dalit family attacked, threatened in UP for ‘touching idols’ in temple
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/dalit-family-attacked-threatened-in-up-for-touching-idols-in-temple/
The accused and his unidentified associates barged into the temple where the Dalit family was performing rituals and beat them up for “touching the goddess’s idol”,
Written by Manish Sahu | Lucknow | Published:November 21, 2015 1:35 am
A Dalit couple and their relatives were beaten up, abused and issued life threats for allegedly touching idols at a temple in Chitrakoot district Thursday, police said.
The accused, one Rohit Tiwari, and his unidentified associates barged into the temple where the Dalit family was performing rituals and beat them up for “touching the goddess’s idol”, the police said.
Dharamlal, who works as a sweeper for the municipal board, alleged the officers at the Rajapur police station initially ignored his complaint, and registered it only after local Dalits staged a sit-in demonstration.
Dharamlal’s wife Asha Devi was recently elected a block development committee member from Kaushambi, the district the couple belongs to.
The police have registered an FIR against Tiwari and two of his associates. No arrests have been made so far. The Dalits in Rajapur town have announced a march on Sunday if the accused are not arrested by then.
“I had gone to the temple with my wife and son Rambali (15) for a ritual. While my wife was busy with the rituals, Rohit Tiwari and two others entered the temple and started beating her. He pointed a pistol at her and abused her for her caste. He slapped me when I intervened and pointed the pistol at me. The other two men hit my family with sticks,” Dharamlal told The Indian Express.
The Hindu
Bail plea of teacher dismissed
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/bail-plea-of-teacher-dismissed/article7902182.ece
STAFF REPORTER
Mahila Court Judge S. Manvizhi dismissed the bail application of the municipal middle school teacher R. Vijayalakshmi (35), who was arrested for forcing a Class II boy to remove excreta in the school on November 13.
Her lawyers Krishnan and Gopikumar moved the bail application on Monday. When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, her lawyers said that she was suffering from heart ailments and had recently undergone treatment. They also said that case registered under Section 3 (1) (x) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 was due to enmity and sought bail for her.
The prosecution strongly opposed the bail as a teacher who needs to impart unity and create a casteless society had failed to do so.
The incident showed that after 68 years of However, the prosecution said the case was an example for independence, discrimination persisted in society.
Also, no medical records were produced to support her claim on illness.
The judge asked her lawyers to produce the medical records in the afternoon. When the case came up for hearing later in the day, her lawyers produced medical records that showed that she was under treatment at a private hospital in Namakkal from November 1 to 11.
other teachers and strongly opposed her bail application. The judge dismissed the application.
After the incident, the teacher was placed under suspension and was currently lodged at Salem Central Prison for Women.
She was arrested for forcing Class II boy to remove excreta in school
The Economic Times
Indicate SC/ST status on birth, caste certificates as early as class VIII: Centre to tell states
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/indicate-sc/st-status-on-birth-caste-certificates-as-early-as-class-viii-centre-to-tell-states/articleshow/49865742.cms
By ET Bureau | 21 Nov, 2015, 04.00AM IST
NEW DELHI: The Centre has proposed draft guidelines to all states suggesting that the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe status of a person be indicated in his birth certificate and caste certificates as early as Class VIII.
“The possibility may also be explored to indicate the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe status in the birth certificate,” say the draft advisory or guidelines to be issued to states and Union Territories, on which public comments have been asked by the Establishment (Reservation) Section of the Department of Personnel and Training. “Government of India has been receiving representations, from time to time, regarding difficulties faced by Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates, in obtaining caste/domicile certificates, while applying for admission, posts and services under the Central Government. With a view to ease the difficulties faced by the SC/ST students in obtaining certificates, it is proposed that ‘Caste Certificate’ and the ‘Residency (Domicile) certificate’ may be issued to SC and ST students, all over the country, when they are studying in Class VIII,” the draft guidelines have said.
The Centre has proposed that the School Head Master in which the student is studying would get the necessary documents filled up from the students studying in Class VIII and a window of two months in September/October or any other time frame decided by the concerned state may be allocated for completing this exercise. “The School Principal will get the documents collected from all the SC and ST students and arrange to submit them to the relevant state government authority/revenue authorities for making the requisite certificates. The concerned revenue/state government authorities would scrutinise those documents and within a period of 30-60 days, would issue the certificates,” the guidelines say. A domicile certificate, which certifies residence of any person in a particular state, will be issued similarly so that people can apply for jobs where preference to local residents is available.
The Tribune
Reserve contractual jobs for SCs: Govt
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/governance/reserve-contractual-jobs-for-scs-govt/160964.html
Says departments should comply with the Punjab SC/BC Act, 2006
Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, November 20
The state government today issued directions to all departments to give reservation/representation to Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes being hired by the departments on direct or indirect contract through contractors or other intermediaries.
Cautioning all departments, commissioners of the division, deputy commissioner for strict compliance of the Punjab Schedule Casts & Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006, Gulzar Ranike, Welfare Minister, said, “It has been noticed that many departments and their respective corporations, boards, autonomous institutions, universities, societies, companies, commissions and miscellaneous government bodies were not giving due representation/reservations to the SC and the BC communities in category of the person being hired through direct contract (through contractors and other intermediaries etc.).
He said a letter had been issued by the Welfare Department and clarified that the prime employer of the government organisations, etc., were responsible to ensure that the representation of SC/BC persons are done in line with the provisions of the Punjab SC/BC Act, 2006.
The percentage of reservations provided in the Act, has to be applied in the case of so called “outsourced” (indirect contract) categories also. He said merely making an intermediary stand, in between, prime employer (government organisations, etc.,) and the persons hired to do the government job, does not absolve the prime employer, of its responsibility to see that Constitutional provisions and provision under the relevant Acts, rules, instructions, meant for the purpose are implemented.
He further said according to the Section-4(7) of The Punjab Schedule Casts & Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006, reservation should be applicable to the vacancies to be filled on ad hoc basis, short-term vacancies, work change establishment, daily wages staff and the staff engaged on contract basis.
The Indian Express
No proof required: No time for caste reservations
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/no-proof-required-no-time-for-caste-reservations/
In a perceptive article in another newspaper, Baijayant “Jay” Panda, MP from Odisha, observed that there seemed to be an upsurge in “issues before the electorate” prior to the recent state elections.
Written by Surjit S Bhalla | Updated: November 21, 2015 12:09 am
The Bihar election is over. The BJP has lost. Almost miraculously, the resignations have stopped and discussions about “India, the Intolerant” have gone into reverse. Was it really all about the election? In a perceptive article in another newspaper, Baijayant “Jay” Panda, MP from Odisha, observed that there seemed to be an upsurge in “issues before the electorate” prior to the recent state elections.
As he states, “Just as in the earlier phase of reported church attacks bunched around the Delhi state election, so too now the crucial Bihar election is undoubtedly a catalyst. The bigger question is, for whom? For no one side or party has a monopoly on such tactics.”
Let us hope that the BJP is a bit more informed, a bit more humble, a bit less arrogant, and suffers from considerably less hubris the next time there are state elections (April 2016). Given that it is a no-brainer that the political opposition toNarendra Modi, led by the down-but-not-out Congress party, will always be exaggerated and “peak” during election time, how many awardees are there left to return awards, or will there be some other “mechanism” for the glitterati-liberati to vent their anger and frustration? What I cannot understand is that, given all this, how did the normally politically savvy Modi fall into the well-laid traps of “intolerance”?
In particular, on all human, ethical, and moral concerns, Modi and the BJP should have been the first to condemn the killing of writers and Mohammad Akhlaq, and any other incidents of intolerance. Why did they wait so long? Was it hubris? We will never know. But Election 2016 will be the time to find out — about both the proclivity of some to create trouble for the BJP, and the reaction, and reaction time, of the BJP.
There is one Bihar 2015 incident for which the BJP has been unfairly criticised — that is, the issue of reservations. Indeed, it is the Mahagathbandhan in the form of Lalu Prasad that exploited the caste issue. Objectively speaking, it was Lalu who was the caste villain, just as Amit Shah was the communal villain (firecrackers in Pakistan). But no awards are being returned because of Lalu’s caste villainy.
Let me explain. What did RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat say about reservations? He made three points: First, that the topic of reservations has been politicised from the start. Second, that there is need to review the basis of the “ancient” reservation system that India inherited from its colonial forefathers and the Constitution. Third, that special “benefits” should be based on class, not caste. “We believe, form a committee of people genuinely concerned for the interest of the whole nation and committed to social equality, including some representatives from the society, they should decide which categories require reservation and for how long.” How is Bhagwat’s demand any different than the demand of the Constitution? And maybe he has read the Constitution more carefully than Lalu has because, according to the 95th Amendment, provisions for “reservations” will expire in January 2020 after having prevailed for 70 years.
Bhagwat did not mention caste anywhere — but all Lalu sees is caste. At a rally in Raghopur, Lalu replied to Bhagwat: “Yeh ladai hai backward aur forward ki. Maine Mohan Bhagwat ko keh diya hai ki moochh mein dum hai to aarakshan khatam karo. Yeh tiranga nahin, bhagwa jhanda fehrana chahata hai. (This is a battle between backward and forward castes. I have challenged Bhagwat — he should scrap reservations if he has the guts. He wants to hoist the saffron flag, not the tricolour).”
When I first read Bhagwat’s comment, I felt he indirectly made a strong case for Muslims being the prime beneficiaries of a revised policy on economic reservations. The only issue I have with Bhagwat is that he keeps talking of the need for (revised) reservations without realising that a quota system is detrimental for all and detrimental to “integral humanism”. In India, many learned scholars (especially on the left) keep confusing reservations with affirmative action. The latter policy is one where positive steps are taken — for example, income transfers, scholarships, etc — to help the integration of formerly excluded members from the mainstream.
It does not matter whether the poor or the discriminated against are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, SC, ST, Buddhist, Jain or Parsi. The poor are economically and “socially” disadvantaged and it is imperative that they be helped by the state — and helped considerably more than all others.
With a quota for education and/or jobs, the “colour of your skin” matters most, not your needs, merit or competence. With affirmative action, economic disadvantage is paramount — that is, are you poor and in need of state support? — and is explicitly based on a “caste-no-bar” criteria. The following analogy might help in understanding the difference between reservations and affirmative action.
When economic reforms were introduced in 1991, there was a movement away from the inefficient and prone-to-corruption industrial licensing and quota system (who can produce what and how much) to an incentive-based price system. Time now to move away from an inefficient, corrupt quota-based system to an economic-need system. Why corrupt? Consider this: The OBCs were 31 per cent of the population in 1931, 36 per cent in 1999, and 41 per cent in 2004. In these five years, the OBC population grew at an annual rate of 4.4 per cent.
Note that the growth rate of the Hutterites, who do not practise birth control and have an average fertility rate of nine children per woman, has never exceeded 4 per cent a year. It is biologically not possible, not even for Mandal fecund OBCs. So what happened? In order to obtain the irrational government mandated manna, non-OBCs simply changed their caste. More and more castes, economically deserving or not, joined the umbrella OBC category.
If you look at the data (see “Reservations: Half Pregnant Constitution, Half Pregnant State”, iexp.in/AMK207461), it turns out that OBCs, the largest beneficiary group of government job quotas (27 per cent vs 23 per cent for SC/ STs), have incomes, education, etc, equal to that of the average Indian. Think about it, do you know of any system, anywhere, that aims to benefit the average person? The average and the rich are taxed to help the poor, the downtrodden, the needy. Yet, the self-proclaimed champions of the poor, the Congress and the left, want to continue with the discredited, discriminatory and damaging policy of caste-based reservations.
Muslims are the biggest losers from our reservation policy, the policy that Bhagwat rightly wants reviewed. The average educational attainment level of Muslims in 2011-12 (NSS data) was 8.6 years, compared to 8.4 years for SCs, 8.1 years for STs and 10.6 years for Hindu OBCs. Yet, only 11 per cent of OBC Muslims with more than Class X education held government jobs, versus 21 per cent of SCs, 38 per cent of STs and 23 per cent of OBC Hindus. While religion cannot be used as a criteria for education policy, caste is. But it appears that religion is the criteria used by the government to deny Muslims their rightful jobs in government. And “government” here is not Modi’s BJP (2011 data), but the liberal Congress governments of decades past — including the Hindu one-time Congressman who is the hero of the OBCs: V.P. Singh, of Mandal infamy.
The writer is chairman, Oxus Investments, and contributing editor, ‘The Indian Express’
Tehelka
Help On Call
http://www.tehelka.com/2015/11/help-on-call/
When Dalits face discrimination in Coimbatore district, a collective of activists and lawyers keeps officials on their toes
It was a brickbat disguised as a bouquet. That was why Coimbatore District Collector Archana Patnaik chose to take a day’s leave to avoid accepting the bouquet from Youth for Social Justice (YSJ), a collective of lawyers and activists. Though they claimed they were presenting the bunch of flowers in appreciation of her services, it was indeed a mock gift for her alleged role in protecting perpetrators of caste violence. In the absence of the collector at her chamber, the bouquet was left with her secretary by the protestors. A letter tucked into the bouquet said she ‘deserves appreciation’ for not taking action against rampant social discrimination and caste practices prevalent in the district. The forum, with offices across the state, alleges that repeated pleas for taking action against social discrimination, atrocities and violence were left unattended by the collector and other officials. That is why it resorted to this novel form of protest. Inspired by the ideals of Dr BR Ambedkar and Periyar EV Ramasamy, YSJ launched India’s first helpline for protecting Dalits in distress in November last year. A single call to the toll free number 180042533444 will ensure legal, social, political and emotional support to Dalits who face humiliation and atrocities from caste Hindus. “The helpline functions from 7 in the morning until 11 at night. On receiving a distress call, members of the forum will reach the spot offering all possible support. Our volunteers will collect evidence and record statements. They will be later handed over to the police along with the complaint of the victim,” explains R Ramesh, an advocate who is an active member of the forum. As most of the forum members are practising lawyers, they help resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the victim if the issue does not require police intervention. Calls to the helpline average 500 per month. “Late night calls are recorded and returned in the morning,” adds Ramesh. According to him, most cases of atrocities against Dalits get a lukewarm response from the police and the government. As a result, the perpetrators of inhuman crimes and practices go scotfree after the initial enquiry. “Our only concern is that a Dalit in distress must get justice. Our members would pressurise police with better legal advice and maximum available evidence to act tough on the guilty,” says advocate Panneer Selvam, President of YSJ. “Demolition of caste walls, abolition of the twotumbler system, opening of public roads and temple entry are a few cases that we have successfully taken up in recent days”. “The police, often members of dominant castes, remain partial and insensitive to Dalit causes. We are forcing them to take action’’ he adds. 11/20/2015 Help On Call | Tehelka Investigations, Latest News, Politics, Analysis, Blogs, Culture, Photos, Videos, Podcasts http://www.tehelka.com/2015/11/helponcall/?singlepage=1 3/5 Nisha Ponthathil More by the author > Collective action When TN Dalits face atrocities they can dial the helpline (above) to get assistance With their area of operations expanding, forum members have started conducting intercaste marriages as well. Recounting his experience of the helpline, C Vellankiri of Irumborai village in Mettupalayam told Tehelka that he was diffident about dialing the helpline early this year. He did not think he would get a positive response when reporting that a saloon in his locality kept out Dalits. To his great surprise, members of the forum came to his village and took up the issue. “People like me who have been suffering caste dominance in silence for ages never thought that we could get a haircut in that saloon. It is the timely intervention by the forum that helped sort out the issue,” says a delighted Vellankiri. By the time the first anniversary of the helpline dawned on 7 November, it had received around 6,000 calls. Members of the forum also undertake doortodoor visits in Dalit villages and Dalitdominated areas to create awareness of rights. Posters displaying the helpline number are distributed in crowded localities and posters are stuck in public places. “Our efforts are helping Dalits to opt for the legal route to combat atrocities and discrimination. Our constant interventions are proving beneficial for them,” says Panneer Selvam. Selvan from Pachaipalayam village near Perur in Coimbatore has yet another story to tell. He proudly narrated how he was instrumental in ‘opening’ a public road to which Dalits were denied entry for years. In this village, Dalits are now well aware of their rights. “It was the campaign by the forum that emboldened us to stand up for ourselves,” he says. Meanwhile, the forum has gained popularity not only in Tamil Nadu but also outside the state. “We receive random desperate calls from different parts of the country,” recounts the YSJ chief. “But we never turn them down. Instead, we listen to them, make them aware of the gravity of the issue and help callers to file complaints in the local police stations. They are put in touch with Dalit activists in nearby places for seeking assistance.” The dominant caste and caste outfits, however, see the forum as a source of trouble. They issue threats and try to dissuade the members from their work in all possible ways. Even so, police and officials think twice before messing with educated youngsters from different walks of life who have vowed to effect social change. “The lawyers among us are quick to support the victims with maximum legal support. So the police and authorities are cautious while dealing with us,” adds Selvam, before rushing to Kalapatty village. He has received a frantic call from Jayaprakash, whose land is being encroached upon by a neighbour belonging to a dominant caste.
News monitored by AMRESH & AJEET
