Three arrested in Dalit youth’s murder case – Pune Mirror
http://www.punemirror.in/pune/crime/Three-arrested-in-Dalit-youths-murder-case/articleshow/49793732.cms
FIR against NSUI men for casteist remark against Modi – The Times Of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Allahabad/FIR-against-NSUI-men-for-casteist-remark-against-Modi/articleshow/49795386.cms
‘Atrocities against Dalits rampant in coastal AP’ – The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/atrocities-against-dalits-rampant-in-coastal-ap/article7881948.ece
Fire reduces 50 houses of Kullu village to ashes – The Times Of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Fire-reduces-50-houses-of-Kullu-village-to-ashes/articleshow/49795506.cms
FABO-UK raises concerns on crimes against Dalits – The Tribune
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/community/fabo-uk-raises-concerns-on-crimes-against-dalits/158744.html
Bhangi Darwaza: Why did the ASI notify an offensive name for a gateway in a Madhya Pradesh fort? – Scroll
http://scroll.in/article/769536/bhangi-darwaza-why-did-the-asi-notify-an-offensive-name-for-a-gateway-in-a-madhya-pradesh-fort
Couple enter into wedlock as HC clears the decks through Skype – The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/couple-enter-into-wedlock-as-hc-clears-the-decks-through-skype/article7882149.ece
Caste-religion blend: Meet UP’s SC winners; Rajpat w/o Jalaluddin, Sunita w/o Hussain – The Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/caste-religion-blend-meet-ups-sc-winners-rajpat-wo-jalaluddin-sunita-wo-hussain/
Two held on the charge of rape, circulating video of sexual act – The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/two-held-on-the-charge-of-rape-circulating-video-of-sexual-act/article7882417.ece
Mahapanchayat by Dalit community – The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/mahapanchayat-by-dalit-community/article7881873.ece
The invisible fence in northern districts – The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/the-invisible-fence-in-northern-districts/article7882165.ece
Half of Dalits ostracized – Daily Star
http://www.thedailystar.net/city/half-dalits-ostracised-173005
Please Watch:
Dalits Concerns Before Land Rights Struggle Groups/ Mainstream Movements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU7Sqd7d_9k
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Pune Mirror
Three arrested in
Dalit youth’s murder case
http://www.punemirror.in/pune/crime/Three-arrested-in-Dalit-youths-murder-case/articleshow/49793732.cms
Pune Mirror | Nov 16, 2015, 02.30 AM IST
Victim was killed for using Ambedkar’s song as ringtone
Three persons have been arrested in a case of murder of a Dalit youth, in the temple town of Shirdi, for allegedly setting an Ambedkar song as his mobile’s ringtone. The accused were arrested from a rented flat in Dapodi in the early hours of Saturday.
The perpetrators have been identified as Kiran Arjun Ajbe (21), a resident of Ahmednagar and Dhananjay Prakash Kale (18) of Kopargaon and their 15-year-old accomplice has been detained.
Senior police inspector Ganesh More, in charge of Bhosari police station, said, “We had received information that some criminals from Ahmednagar are staying in a rented flat at Alandi Road. Accordingly, we laid a trap but they managed to escape. After getting a tip-off, we raided the house in the morning and nabbed them. Ajbe is wanted in several cases.”
On May 16, around 2 pm, Sagar Shejwal, a nursing student, who was in Shirdi, Ahmednagar district to attend a wedding, was sitting in a local beer shop with his cousins when he got a call. According to the police, hearing his ringtone, Kara Kitihi Halla, Majboot Bhimacha Killa (Shout all you want, Bhim’s fortress is strong), eight youths got agitated and asked him to switch it off. The song was a tribute to Dr Ambedkar’s work for empowering the Dalit community.
An altercation followed and the assailants hit Sagar with a beer bottle and started kicking and punching him. They dragged him out, put him on a motorcycle and took him to a nearby forest. His body, which was later found near Shingve village on the evening of May 16, bore marks of being crushed under a two-wheeler and it seemed like he was also stoned to death. The assailants belong to the dominant Maratha and Other Backward Classes communities. They allegedly ran their bike repeatedly over Sagar’s body, mutilating it.
Police had arrested four of the eight assailants, who were allegedly involved in the brutal assault. The assailants have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 395 (dacoity), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 109 (abetment) under the Indian Penal Code and sections 3 (2) (v) and 3 (1) (x) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act.
The Times Of India
FIR against NSUI men for casteist remark against Modi
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Allahabad/FIR-against-NSUI-men-for-casteist-remark-against-Modi/articleshow/49795386.cms
Kapil Dixit,TNN | Nov 16, 2015, 01.23 AM IST
ALLAHABAD: A local BJP leader has lodged an FIR against two workers of National Student Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’ student wing, for putting up a banner with a casteist remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP leader SP Dwivedi lodged the case against Jitesh Mishra and Rajiv Yadav under Section 153 (b) of IPC with Civil Lines police station late on Saturday night.
Section 153 (b) of IPC says that any remark or assertion on anybody’s caste, religion, race or regional group that may cause disharmony, feelings of enmity or hatred shall be punished with imprisonment up to three years. BJP leader in his complaint said that objectionable remark was put on the country’s prime minister.
On Saturday, the two NSUI leaders had sought to compare Modi with Jawaharlal Nehru through the banner which read, “Kahan Raja Bhoj, Kahan Gangu…”, making a crude reference to Modi’s caste, Modh-Ghanchi, a sub-caste of the Teli community in Gujarat.
“Nehruji se tulna karne wale log zara soche — Kahan Raja Bhoj Kahan Gangu… (Those comparing Nehruji and Modi must realise that the former’s stature is much taller than latter),” reads the banner which has photographs of Nehru and Modi apart from those of Jitesh Mishra and Rajiv Yadav, identified as NSUI leaders of the city.
The original Hindi proverb, “Kahan Raja Bhoj, kahan Gangu Teli”, refers to King Bhoja of Dhar and a commoner in the form of Gangu Teli, and is often used in northern India to emphasize incomparable stature of two people.
However, BJP leadership has taken the seriously and decided to lodge an FIR against the duo NSUI leaders claiming that it hurt the sentiments of people of the country and no one has right to comment anyone’s cast, creed and religion.
Meanwhile, Civil Lines police said that they have started investigations into the issue after lodging the FIR and necessary action would be taken once the probe was completed.
The Hindu
‘Atrocities against Dalits rampant in coastal AP’
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/atrocities-against-dalits-rampant-in-coastal-ap/article7881948.ece
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Atrocities against Dalits appear to be rampant in Krishna, Visakhapatnam and East and West Godavari districts in the State, said Samuel Anand Kumar, Director, Social Welfare.
Mr. Anand Kumar was addressing a roundtable conference on atrocities against Dalit women and girl children, organised by Dalit Sthree Sakthi (DSS) in city on Saturday. After listening to a series of cases wherein justice eluded Dalit women and girls who suffered harassment, sexual abuse, physical attacks and rapes and murders, Mr. Anand Kumar said this was because Dalits were voiceless and economically poor.
He said in most cases, the compensation did not reach the victim.
Referring to the police role in handling of cases filed under SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said a sensitisation drive was in the offing for the Police Department to ensure justice to Dalit victims.
He said with regard to the cases presented before him, he would do all possible help within the ambit of law to ensure justice to the victims.
Deputy Director of Prosecutions B. Ramakoteswara Rao blamed judicial officers for preventing arrests in SC, ST cases.
State convenor of Dalit Stree Shakti G. Jhansi said lack of proper coordination between the government departments was compounding the woes of the Dalit community.
She called for amendment to the ‘outdated’ Act and said a relentless struggle was the only way to achieve it. Referring to the ‘hype’ surrounding Amaravati, she said the State was witnessing a paradoxical scenario. While large-scale world-class infrastructure was being created for the rich and the wealthy, the Dalits living in remote villages were deprived of their basic right to live.
The Times Of India
Fire reduces 50 houses of
Kullu village to ashes
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Fire-reduces-50-houses-of-Kullu-village-to-ashes/articleshow/49795506.cms
TNN | Nov 16, 2015, 01.44 AM IST
MANALI: Fire gutted nearly 50 houses of Kotla village in Banjar sub-division of Kullu on Sunday at around 4.45pm. While no human life was lost, dozens of livestock were burnt alive in the incident. Temples of Bada Chhamahu Devta, Dhamani Chhamahu Devta, Bhuhani Devta and store of Dhamani Devta were also gutted in fire. Jewellery and idols of deities worth crores of rupees was also destroyed.
Two temples of Bada Chhamahu Devta were also been destroyed in the blaze. The small but thickly-populated village, having over 80 houses, is located on a hilltop above Bali Chowki village. Most houses here were made of timber in traditional kath-kuni architecture style.
The fire that started from a house nearly in the middle spread fast to the others structures before the villagers could act. Fire tenders from Larji, Mandi and Kullu were rushed to the spot. According to sources, the village is connected by a small link road and big machines cannot reach the village. Small fire tenders were put to use to fight the flames.
According to sources, villagers with the help of residents of nearby villages were trying to douse the fire. Local resident Dola Singh, who is former panchayat pradhan of Kotla, said that many houses belong to scheduled caste families. “We are trying our best to control the fire. Nearly 30 more houses are still in danger,” he said. He said the fire was so furious that it was not possible to save the houses and most people could not even save their valuables.
Villages of Kullu become vulnerable to fire during winter season and large numbers of fire incidences are reported between October and February every year. Like elsewhere in Kullu, residents of Kotla had stocked firewood and fodder inside their houses which provided fuel to the uncontrollable fire. Poor approach road and inadequate fire services, caused major destruction in this beautiful old village.
The fire has rendered over 60 families homeless in chilling cold. Though administration and politicians reached the spot for immediate relief, affected families would have to find shelter in the remaining houses. Fire has damaged property worth more than 50 crore. Till the last report from Kotla village, fire could not be controlled and remaining houses were still under the shadow of danger.
Banjar sub-divisional magistrate Ashwani Kumar, who was present on the spot, said: “Over 40 houses in main complex of the village are destroyed completely. Fire is devastating. The sparse houses of the village which are located at some distance from main complex are safe so far. Relief work is on.”
In November 2007, 50 houses of Mohani village of Banjar were gutted. 150 houses of Malana were reduced to ashes in January 2008, and 35 houses of Solang village near Manali were destroyed in a similar incident in November 2008. Short circuits are the main reasons of fire in Kullu.
The Tribune
FABO-UK raises concerns on crimes against Dalits
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/community/fabo-uk-raises-concerns-on-crimes-against-dalits/158744.html
Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 15
Writes open letter to PM Modi, seeks action against perpetrators
The president of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhists Organisations (FABO), UK, has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for requisite action in cases of crimes against the Dalits.
After facing music from various activists at the UK in anti-Modi protests, FABO-UK president Santosh Dass has expressed ‘an urgent need to reform local, state, and national justice systems and to make the police force register, process and prosecute crimes against the Dalits’.
The letter was posted on countercurrents.org, yesterday, on the sidelines of PM Modi’s inauguration of Dr BR Ambedkar’s London Home, which the Indian government recently acquired.
In her letter to the Indian Prime Minister, Dass has stated “In the wake of this (crimes against Dalits), Dalits, Ambedkarites and groups that represent such communities in the UK, have justifiably raised their voice against these atrocities and against your visit.”
The letter states, “In spite of the principles of Dr Ambedkar’s Constitution, crimes against the Dalits continue to rise. Furthermore, reported crimes are just tip of the iceberg. Every day, two Dalit men, women, or children are murdered and five Dalit women are raped. Toleration, freedom of religion and the personal right to choose one’s faith, particularly in the context of Dalits, and freedom of speech are being eroded while sadly the Government remains silent or mouths platitudes.”
The letter says, “I hope your visit to the Ambedkar Museum is your commitment to take a lead in translating his (Dr BR Ambedkar’s) message and his legacy into real action in India…As the dismal conviction rates indicate, justice for the Dalits is wanting in a casteist society where more often than not, the perpetrators walk free. Where this happens, punish the police for dereliction of duty and pursue corruption. You and your government are under international scrutiny.”
FABO-UK is a voluntary and non-profit organisation which is also at the centre of the process of facilitating the acquisition of Dr Ambedkar’s London Home on 10 King Henry’s Road in northwest London by the Indian government. The home was formally inaugurated by PM Modi yesterday.
Despite an overwhelming response from the UK government and overseas supporters, the PM’s recent visit to the UK has been clouded by criticism from Amnesty International for imposition on green peace activists. The ‘Modi not welcome’ campaign also saw organisations like South Asia Solidarity Group, Sikh Federation UK, Southall Black Sisters, Dalit Solidarity Network UK, Indian Muslim Federation, Indian Workers Association, Muslim Parliament, and Voice of Dalit International among others, opposing the Indian PM.
Scroll
Bhangi Darwaza: Why did the ASI notify an offensive name for a gateway in a Madhya Pradesh fort?
http://scroll.in/article/769536/bhangi-darwaza-why-did-the-asi-notify-an-offensive-name-for-a-gateway-in-a-madhya-pradesh-fort
A legal notice has demanded that the name of one of the 12 gateways inside the historical fort of Mandu, or Mandava, located in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, be denotifed within 15 days.
Ajaz Ashraf · Today · 09:15 am
In the pervasive ambience of attempts to right the “wrongs” of history, it is perhaps natural for a person to feel offended by Bhangi Darwaza, which is the name of one of the 12 gateways inside the historical fort of Mandu, or Mandava, located in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
Notified as Bhangi Darwaza all the way back in 1951, Vyapam whistleblower and social activist Dr Anand Rai found the name so insulting that he had his lawyer Abhinav P Dhanodkar dispatch legal notices on the Union government’s Secretary of Culture and two senior officials of Bhopal Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Rai’s legal notice demands that the name Bhangi Darwaza should be denotified within 15 days, failing which he would file a public interest litigation with the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The legal notice, dispatched on Friday, November 13, should reach the three officers this week.
Sanctifying myths
Rai stumbled upon the ASI’s narrative of Bhangi Darwaza on his recent trip to the picturesque, historical site of Mandu. Not only did the stone tablet at the dilapidated gateway identify it as Bhangi Darwaza, it provided, in a few words, the historical backdrop for the name that is decidedly strange and mysterious.
The stone tablet says, “It is named after a Bhangi who is stated to have been offered as sacrifice on the completion of the Fort – the gateway, built in trabeate style, is probably pre-Islamic. Its roof has fallen down.” Trabeate is a style of architecture in which beams are placed across two vertical columns to support the weight of the superstructure. It was the style favoured in India before the advent of Muslim rulers, who brought in the arcuate form of construction in which arches support the weight.
Mandu pops up in a Sanskrit inscription dated 555 AD, and in later centuries was ruled by the Pratiharas and the Paramaras. It was attacked and invaded by Muslim rulers in the 13th century and was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate in the first decade of the 14th century. Like so many historical sites in India, Mandu has the imprint, and remains, of both pre-Islamic and Islamic periods.
The ASI’s description of Bhangi Darwaza stung Rai, not the least because he belongs to a backward caste. “I was offended, felt demeaned,” he said to me. “The description of Bhangi Darwaza would make a visitor think certain castes are no better than animals, fit to be offered as a sacrifice. I was horrified that the ASI, a government body, could show such insensitivity to a caste. The name is in violation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. What do they mean by saying that a Bhangi was sacrificed here?”
It does seem the ASI has turned a possible folklore into a historical fact or evidence. For one, its own description of Bhangi Darwaza, rather vaguely, says, “It is stated…” Stated by whom and where? It does not tell us.
Behind the name
There was always a concrete reason behind naming a pre-modern structure when it was constructed, says Prof Sunil Kumar, who teaches history at Delhi University. “For instance,” he points out, “Kashmiri Gate was so called because a person had to pass through it to take the route to Kashmir. Similarly, Turkman Gate drew its name from the fact that in its vicinity there was a Turkish settlement.”
From this perspective, it is possible to imagine that there was perhaps a settlement of outcastes near what is called Bhangi Darwaza. Or perhaps the gateway was exclusively reserved for the outcastes to enter the fort.
In its time, though, the Darwaza couldn’t have been christened Bhangi. “This is because,” Prof Kumar argues, “the word Bhangi was coined in the 19th century.” The fort of Mandu is of much earlier vintage.
So is it then the case of affixing a 19th century word, post-Independence, on the fort built centuries ago?
Bhangi has come to denote a caste employed in cleaning latrines and engaged in sanitation. However, in his essay,Casting the ‘Sweeper’: Local politics of Sanskritisation, Caste and Labour, Nicolas Jaoul says Bhangi wasn’t a caste, but a nomenclature under which were clubbed members of different jatis who were employed as sanitation workers under the colonial rule.
They were earlier impoverished agricultural workers in villages, from where, for the purpose of earning a livelihood, they migrated to towns. Using caste networks, the civic authorities employed the erstwhile agricultural labourers for tasks deemed unclean. Jaoul writes, “The different jatis who provided labourers for such jobs as sweepers, garbage collectors and underground sewage workers, mostly for the municipalities and the factories, became categorised as ‘sweepers’”.
In an email response to this writer, Jaoul said, “It seems that in North India and places where Muslims ruled, the people performing the tasks of sweepers and (manual) scavengers used to be called “mehtars”. This (term) seems to have been used predominantly during British rule. But Gandhi and the Hindu reformists like the Arya Samaj sought to Hinduise them and preferred the name “bhangi”, the etymology of which means “discarded”. Some people in these communities also mention that Bhangi refers to one who consumes bhang or hemp.”
The link between bhang or hemp and Bhangi is a later-day Brahminical spin, says Dr Shailesh Kumar Darokar, associate professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, who for more than a decade has been researching manual scavenging. The word Bhangi denoting untouchables doesn’t occur in any of the Vedic scriptures. He affirms what Jaoul says – that under Mughal rule those who were engaged as sweepers were called mehtar, which directly translates to “prince”.
Untouchable as the Broken Man
Darokar offers two theories on the origin of the word Bhangi. One, he says Bhangi was one who “broke or split the bhang or bamboo” to make bamboo products. Two, Bhangi was the term used to describe war captives, or those who had been defeated and broken. The war captives of yore were treated as untouchables. The idea of being defeated or broken was subsequently elaborated upon by Ambedkar to describe the Untouchable as the Broken Man.
The war captives were all soldiers in the king’s army which had been vanquished. This is perhaps why, argues Dr Darokar, many Dalit groups of today, settled in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, share the Kshatriya titles such as Solanki and Chauhan. He says Bhangi as a caste of manual scavengers was institutionalised under the colonial rule, much in the manner Jaoul has detailed.
Nevertheless, what these accounts quite clearly establish is that Bhangi as a caste, as is understood today, has a history of perhaps two centuries. It is possible the Darwaza in Mandu had a settlement of outcastes or it was reserved exclusively for their use. However, the person who notified it as Bhangi Darwaza chose a more recent term, with all its humiliating undertones, to describe them.
Considering the naming of Bhangi Darwaza seems a case of myth-making or treating a local tale as a historical fact, should the ASI accede to the demand of Rai? Prof Kumar thinks it is a complex issue. “The word nigger, now commonly accepted as derogatory, occurs in literature and songs. Should the word nigger be substituted or effaced?”
However, Darokar argues, “Yes, the name certainly requires a change. In a democratic country like India it is unacceptable.” Adds Jaoul, “Names are very important, especially for those who are constantly named by others, and whose names carry a stigma.”
For Rai, it is also about how contemporary India perceives certain aspects of the past to be more important than the rest. To drive home this point, he refers to the controversy surrounding the Bhojshala complex, located about 20 km away from Mandu. The Hindutva brigade claims Bhojshala had a temple which was destroyed to build a mosque.
Rai asks, “How come the RSS has been silent on Bhangi Darwaza? Why is it that the RSS never thought the name Bhangi Darwaza could hurt the sentiments of Dalits? It tells you a lot about the priority of those who have been using or falsifying history to create a communal divide.”
Whichever way you look at it, Mandu does indeed tell you about the twists waiting to surprise those who relentlessly tap the past to drive a wedge between communities in the present.
Ajaz Ashraf is a journalist in Delhi. His novel, The Hour Before Dawn, has as its backdrop the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It is available in bookstores.
The Hindu
Couple enter into wedlock as HC clears the decks through Skype
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/couple-enter-into-wedlock-as-hc-clears-the-decks-through-skype/article7882149.ece
D.J.WALTER SCOTT
After the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court heard a marriage case through Skype and cleared the decks, a couple entered into wedlock at the Adaikala Matha Church in Odaikal village in RS Mangalam police limit near here amid tight security on Sunday.
Acting on the court orders, a police team, led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Prohibition and Enforcement Wing) S. Vellaidurai stood guard outside the church as Fr Santhanam, a Jesuit priest from Madurai, solemnised the marriage between J David Philiph Raja, a native of Odaikal, and J Arul Viji. The police and the priest heaved a sigh of relief as the couple stepped out of the church after the wedding ceremony and drove for the reception at the bridegroom’s residence in the village. “Everything went off well,” Mr Vellaidurai told The Hindu .
Mr Justice S. Vaidyanathan, who passed orders on a writ petition on Saturday night from Chennai after hearing arguments over Skype, directed the district police to provide protection as the marriage party apprehended trouble with a section of local villagers objecting to the conduct of the wedding in the church.
One of the 100-odd churches in Dalit villages coming under the Sivaganga Catholic Diocese, it remained closed since 2012 after the villagers raised a banner of revolt against the Diocese for “denying” priesthood to G Michael Raj, a Dalit theology student from Odaikal village.
As Dalits opposed to Diocese priests visiting their village churches, the Diocese had appointed ‘administrators’ but they too faced problems, sources said. Denying any discrimination, a Diocese spokesman said the priests were willing to conduct spiritual ministry in the churches at any time. In some of the villages, the Diocese priests conducted Sunday mass at the request of the villagers, he said.
Initially, after the High Court had suggested that the issue be sorted out at the local level, Assistant Superintendent of Police Sarvesh Raj tried to broker peace between the two groups, but the Dalits refused to budge. As the marriage party insisted on conducting the wedding at the church, V Panneerselvam, a local advocate moved the High Court.
The Indian Express
Caste-religion blend: Meet UP’s SC winners; Rajpat w/o Jalaluddin, Sunita w/o Hussain
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/caste-religion-blend-meet-ups-sc-winners-rajpat-wo-jalaluddin-sunita-wo-hussain/
All the couples have their marriage registered with district authorities.
In a state where both caste and religion matter, a number of Dalit women married to Muslims won from seats reserved for scheduled-caste women in the recent panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, including one in communally sensitive Muzaffarnagar.
Now these winners are vying for the zila panchayat chairperson’s post, which too is reserved for scheduled caste women in these districts.
All the couples have their marriage registered with district authorities.
Bijnor district tops the list with three such couples. Here Sunita a.k.a. Sitara, married to Mohammad Hussain, won from Mohammadpur Devmal III ward. The two fell in love and got married in 2009. Hussain says their families have accepted their marriage. About Sitara’s win, he says, “She contested for the first time and won because people from all religions supported her.”
Another Dalit woman, Soni, emerged victorious from Najibabad-II ward in the district. She is married to Shahabuddin since 2007 and, according to him, she practises Hinduism. Shakuntala, the winner from Najibabad-I, is married to Latif.
In Muzaffarnagar district, Chhoti, who won from Purqazi-II ward, is married to Aamir Ali. “We were in love and got married in 2008,” says Ali, who has another wife.
Chhoti, who is politically active, is also president of the Purqazi assembly segment for the Samajwadi Party.
In Lakhimpur Kheri, Rajpat Choudhary, married to Jalaluddin, won from Bijua-V ward. She had a crush on Jalaluddin, who is the principal of a local private college, since childhood, she smiles shyly. “I too taught there for some time,” she says.
They didn’t face any opposition when they got married in 2001, Choudhary says. “Our families were quite friendly with each other… I visit temples and also dargahs, there is no restriction on me.”
Like Chhoti, Choudhary too is interested in politics. A national executive committee member of the Samajwadi Party’s women wing, she had unsuccessfully contested from the Hargaon assembly seat in Sitapur in 2012. In Shahjahanpur, Saroj a.k.a. Ruby, married to Muzammil Khan, won from Bhawalkheda-V ward. They got married in 2013 after an affair.
“I am over 18 years of age, born and brought up in Delhi and aware about my rights. I got married but did not embrace Islam. I contested from a scheduled caste seat and won. It is a right given to me by the government. So what if my husband is a Muslim?” Saroj says.
In Pilibhit, Tulsi won from ward No. 16 and is now a strong contender for the zila panchayat chairperson’s post. Married in 2001 to local businessman Badrul Hasan, she is being backed by the SP for the chairperson’s post.
Talking about how they met, Hasan says, “I had a shop and she used to come there.”
The Hindu
Two held on the charge of rape, circulating video of sexual act
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/two-held-on-the-charge-of-rape-circulating-video-of-sexual-act/article7882417.ece
AHIRAJ
Kottur police have arrested two youth on the charge of raping a minor girl and circulating a video clipping of the sexual act with her on the social media network.
The names of the arrested persons were given as Bharmesh (20) and Mudde Parushurama (20), an autorickshaw driver.
The police said that the girl, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste and is a pre-university student, lodged a complaint with the police accusing the two of exploiting her sexually besides circulating the video clipping, captured on a mobile phone.
Bharmesh had befriended the girl a year ago and had a sexual relationship with her. On November 5, he took the girl to a field on the pretext of discussing the date of their marriage.
After exploiting her sexually, he forced her to have sex with his friend stating that he would marry her only if she did his bidding.
She said that she agreed to this and the act was video-graphed.
The police, after registering a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (PoCSO) and Information and Technology Act, took up investigation and arrested the two who have been remanded in judicial custody now.
The Hindu
Mahapanchayat by Dalit community
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/mahapanchayat-by-dalit-community/article7881873.ece
ASHOK KUMAR
Seeks increased compensation, trial through fast track court in the case of two children of a Dalit family being burnt alive in Sunperh village
A ‘Mahapanchayat’ by the Dalit community was held at Sector 16 here on Sunday seeking increased compensation and trial through fast track court in the incident of two children of a Dalit family being burnt alive in Sunperh village last month.
The investigation of the case has already been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the investigating agency had recently registered a fresh First Information Report in the case. Of the total 11 people named in the case, seven have been arrested so far. Addressing the gathering at Dussehra Maidan during the six-hour-long meeting, representatives of various Dalit organisations sought impartial probe and speedy trial into the high-profile case.
“Now that the investigation has been handed over to the CBI, we demand the agency should conduct an impartial probe into the matter and come out with the truth. Also, the accused in the case should be tried in fast track courts for speedy justice to the victim Jitender and his wife who have lost their innocent children,” said Income Tax Commissioner, Delhi, Preeta Harit, who is also the national president of Bahujan Samyak Sangathan. She also demanded that action be taken against the policemen who were responsible for providing security to the Dalit family, but were missing at the time of incident. “Mere suspension is no action,” she added.
More than 2,000 people from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Gujarat were present at the meeting that also discussed the plight of the Dalits across the country, besides the Sunperh incident.
Ms. Harit, who had convened the meeting, also said that the compensation announced by the Haryana Government was inadequate and should be increased to Rs.1 crore. She added that the victim Jitender was yet to receive a meagre compensation announced by the government. The speakers at the meeting demanded that the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should be strengthened further to provide a sense of security to the Dalits.
The Hindu
The invisible fence in northern districts
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/the-invisible-fence-in-northern-districts/article7882165.ece
SRUTHISAGAR YAMUNAN
It was at her school in Tirukovilur that thirteen-year-old Azhagi first met her friend Durga. For years, the children were always seen together— sharing their toys or doing their homework in the precincts of the village temple dedicated to Veeran .
But an incident that Azhagi could still not comprehend changedthis relationship in December of 2012.
“One afternoon, my daughter came back home crying. She said she was shouted at by her friend’s father, who belongs to a political party here. She was asked to not come home again. That is how the friendship ended,” rues Azhagi’s mother, a widow and agricultural labourer from the Dalit community in the village of Aviyur. When she confronted the man about his behaviour, she was rudely told to keep off. Ever since the Dharmapuri riots of 2012 and the subsequent campaign by the PMK to unite Caste Hindu outfits against “love dramas” across Tamil Nadu, the divisions between the Dalit and Vanniyar communities in the northern districts have deepened. The polarisation, constantly reiterated through wall posters and hoardings and separation of village resources, looks absolute with negligible attempts at reconciliation.
Every aspect of the lives of these two communities has changed in the last three years. Dinesh, who runs a small tailoring shop in Pillur in Villupuram, recollects the days when the village hosted a Kabadi tournament during the temple festival.
“This tournament was marked by great camaraderie between the two communities. “We drank, played and partied together. After 2012, the Kabadi matches no longer take place,” he says. What was once a strong bond transformed into animosity overnight. For a few months following the Dharmapuri incident, there were constant skirmishes, mostly instigated by those affiliated to political outfits. “It was then that our village elders decided that we will have nothing to do with the other side,” he points out.
For a few months in 2013, even finding work in the fields became tough since the Caste Hindu landlords chose to bring labourers from other villages to avoid employing Dalits. It was only after outsiders started demanding high wages that they were called back.
At the tuition centre atop a house facing the main road in Kolianur, college students blame both the PMK and the VCK for the current situation. “The economic dependence of Dalits on Caste Hindus deepened during the calm that prevailed when the two parties were in alliance. Then suddenly, everything changed. For the sake of votes and power, we are being used as pawns,” a visibly upset Vasantha Velan said, claiming that caste hostility now transcended party lines with even those in the Dravidian parties sharply divided.
Identical views echo in Tittakudi in Cuddalore. “A local politician put up a hoarding some time back that of the 144 different communities in northern districts, only one (of Dalits) was standing up and questioning them. It was a clear signal to Dalits that they were isolated,” states Mayavan, a sanitary worker.
The other version
Vanniyars though have their own tales to narrate. “What do you expect us to do when there is unnecessary provocation? For us, the dignity of our women is paramount. You cannot expect us to compromise,” says Kannapan of Kavanai near Virudhachalam, justifying the violent reactions to the Ilavarasan-Divya love affair.
His wife broke away from a Self-Help Group that consisted of several Dalit women when the tension between the two groups escalated.
Anandhi, Associate Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), says the economic background of the two communities was not too varied. In fact, economic mobility of Dalits was also a crucial aspect that fuelled the acrimony, reflected in the fact that riots target assets in particular. Ms. Anandhi says given that access to common resources turns into a crucial issue when caste clashes escalate, the role of the State in ensuring that rights of Dalits, who end up at the receiving end of the blockade, are put at the centre of the debate is critical. “The government should focus on variables that need intervention to ensure the Dalits have equal rights over village common resources.
This is both on the economic and security fronts,” she says.
Politically, she contends the Dalit parties appear to be more anxious about electoral mobilisation than involvement at the grassroots level. Therefore, a shift in priority was a necessity if any tangible difference is to be made.
Daily Star
Half of Dalits ostracised
http://www.thedailystar.net/city/half-dalits-ostracised-173005
Reveals survey by Bangladesh Harijan Oikya Parishad, Friends Association for Integrated Revolution, Manusher Jonno Foundation
Due to their caste and nature of their profession, 50 percent of the 55 lakh Dalits, including 15 lakh Harijans, in Bangladesh became victims of hatred and discrimination at different spheres of society, reveals a survey.
During the 2013-14 survey period, 500 Dalit families fell victim to violence, which includes the rape of five women.
Bangladesh Harijan Oikya Parishad, and the Friends Association for Integrated Revolution (FAIR) in association with Manusher Jonno Foundation revealed the survey, “DALIT Human Rights Situation in Bangladesh 2013-2014” in the capital’s Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
The survey made use of local mass and social media and the right to information act.
Some 52.09 percent of Dalits faced discrimination at tea stalls and salons after disclosing their identity, 48.1 percent in getting jobs other than their traditional ones while another 51.9 percent stated that they were barred from taking meals with others, said FAIR Director Dewan Akhtaruzzaman.
Reading out the survey’s summary, he said, “Dalit students face discrimination in society, state and even in schools from their classmates and teachers regularly.”
He said 295 out of 504 Dalits got the scope to study till class V while 87 up to class X.
The survey says 13 percent stated of facing problems getting their children admitted to schools. Twenty two of 92 guardians said their children were discriminated, neglected or faced negative attitudes from classmates due to their caste and profession, it adds. It says the prime minister instructed the authorities concerned on May 29, 2012 to keep quotas in educational institutions for Dalit students.
In the 2014-15 session, only 25 students got admission in different universities with only five universities approving the quota, it adds. Human rights activist Hameeda Hossain said though Bangladesh was becoming a middle-income country, the status of Dalits would not improve if the discrimination was not addressed. Research and Development Collective Chairman Mesbah Kamal, Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, Manusher Jonno Foundation Director Rina Roy and Oikya Parishad Secretary General Nirmal Chandra Das also spoke.
News monitored by AMRESH & AJEET
