Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 07.04.14
Dalit Activists Attacked- The New Indian Express
Dalit Bizman Attacked by Rival- The New India Express
Perunkulam on Boil After Caste Clash- The New India Express
Tension as two groups clash- Related story-The Hindu
Will parties help 50 million domestic helps get a fair deal?- The Times Of India
Two men held for attacking six people from northeast - Mizo News
Delhi event discusses poll questions- Mizo News
The New Indian Express
Dalit Activists Attacked
Nine Dalit activists, including three women, were admitted to Kanhangad District Hospital after they were allegedly attacked by CPM workers at Nandankuzhi in Madikai on Sunday.
The injured have been identified as Binu Palankal, 30; Rameshan Arinkal, 27; Manikuttan Kallanchira, 27; Binu Karivedakam, 27; Usha Kallanchira, 26; Priya Kodumkuzhi, 30; Reshma Karivedakam, 18; Rajeev, 30; and Sukumaran Palankal, 30.
The incident took place around 11 am when a group of people, allegedly CPM workers, unleashed attack on Dalit Service Society (DSS) activists who were campaigning for their candidate Gothramooppan Nellikkadan Kannan at Nandankuzhi.
“People who believe in democracy must wake up to realise that we no more enjoy our rights enshrined in the Constitution.
“Dalits are living oppressed in the so-called CPM party villages. It’s the politics of the CPM and people must vote without fear or favour to have a democratic secular government,” said O K Prabhakaran, district president of the DSS.
This is the third attack against Dalits in the past seven days.
Earlier, a woman was allegedly attacked by a police officer on duty and DSS activists were restrained from seeking votes for their candidate by an unknown gang.
When contacted, ADM O Muhammed Aslam said: “Strict instructions have been given tothe police for taking immediate action against the culprits. The District Collector will initiate action against the police officers if they fail to do so.”
Police, when contacted, said: “CPM workers are behind this attack and two people, named Ananthan and Subhash, were identified by the petitioners.
“They threatened the Dalits from visiting the colonies seeking votes and also beat them up.”
A case has been registered against the culprits under Sections 364, 323, 324, 147, 143, 148, 341, 323, 506 and 149 of the IPC.
The New India Express
Dalit Bizman Attacked by Rival
A 30-year-old Dalit restaurant owner was allegedly attacked by persons of an intermediate caste on Saturday. Competition in business was allegedly the motive behind the attack.
Nataraj, a Dalit from Thoothukudi, owned two restaurants and had a running feud as competition was fierce.
Around 10 pm on Saturday, Solamonraj, along with his friends, Abraham Amirtharaj and Rajasekaran, attacked Nataraj and damaged his lorry.
Property worth `25,000 in the restaurant was damaged in the incident.
Nataraj sustained minor injuries. Based on a complaint from Nataraj, SIPCOT Police registered a case against the three accused under the SC/ST Act. Police arrested the trio.
The New India Express
Perunkulam on Boil After Caste Clash
A clash between Dalits and caste Hindus in Perunkulam village near Eral in Thoothukudi left members of both communities injured and several properties damaged. After the clash, security was tightened in the village to prevent further clashes.
A Dalit youth, who teased a caste Hindu girl in Perunkulam village on March 30, was arrested on Thursday after the girl’s father registered a police complaint. The youth’s grandmother later registered a complaint against a few caste Hindus alleging that they had threatened the Dalit youth.
In a follow up, two caste Hindu youth, Murugan and Gnanapandithan, were allegedly attacked by Dalits when they were returning home on Saturday.
The caste Hindus retaliated and allegedly attacked Balamurugan (32), son of Selvam, on Saturday. The mob then allegedly attacked the house of a retired Dalit teacher, Ganesan (60). Balamurugan (35), a contractor, was also attacked and paddy worth `1 lakh was damaged.
In a retaliatory attack by Dalits a TATA Ace van belonging to Palanimurugan (29), was damaged and 300 geese belonging to Sudalai (43), were also allegedly damaged by the Dalits.
As many as 45 caste Hindus and 28 Dalits were booked in connection with the clashes. Security was tightened in the vill age to prevent further clashes.
Thoothukudi SP M Durai inspected the security in village and held talks with representatives of both the communities.
Related story-The Hindu
Tension as two groups clash
The Times Of India
Will parties help 50 million domestic helps get a fair deal?
NEW DELHI: Estimates say there are over 50 million of them in the country. Yet, domestic workers remain unrecognized and unaccounted for in the legal framework. Their demand for a legislation to recognize and regulate domestic work isn't new. But as India heads to the polls yet again, hardly any party raises their issues.
Mostly women, domestic workers refuse to be drowned in the overarching definition "marginalized", for fears of violence, abuse and trafficking stalk them like never before.
"We domestic workers of India, a large number of us women hailing from dalit, backward and tribal communities, petition parliament through you to enact an appropriate law for our protection," this is from a petition 1 lakh domestic workers submitted to MPs last year after a public rally. The petition said they were part of the National Platform of Domestic Workers an umbrella formation of over 20 organisations representing workers across 15 states. Delhi alone has an estimated 10 lakh workers. With their families, they account for 30 lakh national Capital voters. To reinforce their vulnerability, the petition cites the fact that till date there is no precise data on their numbers.
"Our estimated numbers vary from 4.75 million (NSSO 2005) to over 90 million. The former is a gross under estimation, the latter may be exaggerated. It can be safely estimated that we number more than 50 million," it says.
The network's national convenor, Subhash Bhatnagar, says beginning with the Domestic Workers (Conditions of Employment) Bill, 1959, there've been many attempts to legislate for this sector, without success — the most recent being the Domestic Workers (Conditions of Service) Bill, 2009.
But there still isn't an Act of parliament to protect the largest and fastest-growing sector of employment for women in urban areas. Rishikant from NGO Shakti Vahini talks of the rising cases of traffi cking. Due to uneven development in many states with substantial tribal population such as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bengal, Assam and Orissa, the migration of women to the big cities has been on the rise.
"The migration happens through unregulated placement agencies that often indulge in human traffi cking," Rishikant says. NGOs working with domestic workers say traffi cking in Delhi /NCR has grown over 10 years.
"Many girls end up in exploitative circumstances and are treated as slaves. Placement agencies make huge profi ts and human traffi cking victims never get salaries for their back- breaking work," he says.
Mizo News
Two men held for attacking six people from northeast
Gurgaon: Two men living in rented accommodation here were arrested for attacking six people from the northeast, police said Saturday.
They were identified as Vijay Kumar, a resident of 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, and Rambihari from village Sikanderpur Sahu in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.
A mob of 18-20 people had attacked six people from the northeast with hockey sticks and rods March 29.
The victims had said the mob shouted racial slogans and targeted people from the northeastern region after a Manipuri man had an altercation with another person.
Police had registered a case under sections 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 323 (assault) and various sections of the SC/ST Act against unknown persons.
“We will arrest the rest of the accused soon,” said a senior police officer.
Mizo News
Delhi event discusses poll questions
New Delhi: ‘Hum Dekhenge: Looking Back’ – an event to help voters get answers to some questions ahead of the Lok Sabha election was organised here Sunday.
Questions such as “What do we want to vote for”, “What does the future hold for us if we do not vote wisely” and “what is really at stake in these elections”, were addressed through a series of panel discussions.
The event was meant to help voters, who are seeking a “change” with these elections, understand the meaning of “change”.
Speaking at the event, which was organised by No More Campaign, Dalit human rights activist Beena Pallical said fascist forces needed to be stopped from coming to power.
“It is a danger to democracy itself, but very damaging to the rights of Dalits and adivasis, minorities and women,” said Pallical, who spoke on “Dalit women and queer struggles against the politics of Hindutva”.
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party for its stand on homosexuality, activist Nivedita Menon said: “Where do women stand in the Hindu nation? What is it about homosexuality that the BJP and its poster boy are so afraid of?”
“Why should anybody who values democracy as a space for different identities, multiple voices and powerful dissent, be afraid of a Modi-led BJP running the country,” Menon asked.
Performer Maya Krishna Rao said people needed to vote for democratic values.
“We have to vote for democratic values – debate, discussion, bringing food, health, education and clean drinking water to the poor, respect for women and communities – whatever their religion, caste, gender, kind,” she said.
As part of the event, musical performances and poetry reading sessions were also organised.
The No More Campaign comprises a group of citizens, including women’s rights activists, queer activists, lawyers, writers and teachers from across India.
News Monitor by Girish Pant
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
Pl visit on FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/
..............................
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.
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
Pl visit on FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/
..............................
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment