Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 30.04.14
Maharashtra: Dalit boy hanged to death for allegedly meeting an upper caste girl-IBN Live
Govt challenges acquittal of 4 in gang-rape case- The Times Of India
Dalits are kept out of temple fete due to polls- Deccan Chronicle
http://www.deccanchronicle.
Kundapur: Guddeangady's thirst for drinking water remains unattended- Daiji World
City Inter-Caste Romances Face Subtle Pressures- The New Indian Express
In a Fix, College Calls Dalits for Exam- The New Indian Express
Noida village simmers after Gujjars and Dalits clash- The Indian Express
Probe Ordered into Dalit Assault Case- The New Indian Express
Odisha: Dalit organizations lodged protest against Baba Ramdev for hurting sentiment of community - Odisha Dairy
BABA RAMDEV’S REMARK ON DALITS CONDEMNED, ARREST SOUGHT- The Pioneer
Note: Please find attachment for HINDI DMW (PDF)
IBN Live
Maharashtra: Dalit boy hanged to death for allegedly meeting an upper caste girl
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old Dalit boy was hanged to death from a tree in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra for allegedly meeting an upper caste girl. The Dalit boy was hanged from a tree by three people for meeting one of the alleged culprit's sister at Ahmednagar.
The incident took place on April 28 when the boy had reportedly gone to meet the girl near her school.
According to the police the girl's brother spotted both of them near the school. Infuriated, the brother and his friends started thrashing the Dalit boy.
Thereafter, they took the boy near their village (Khada) and thrashed him further before hanging him from the tree.
The three culprits (Sheshrao Yevlekar, Sachin Golekar and another person) have been arrested and have been sent to police custody till May 2.
The Times Of India
Govt challenges acquittal of 4 in gang-rape case
CHANDIGARH: Taking cognizance of Haryana government's plea against the acquittal of four accused in the infamous Dabra gang-rape case, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday issued notice to the four persons.
A division bench comprising Justice Rajive Bhalla and Justice Amol Rattan Singh asked the accused to file reply on the state's appeal on July 4. Besides the state government, the victim - a 16-year-old Dalit girl - has also filed an appeal seeking punishment for all the four who were acquitted by the trial court.
A division bench comprising Justice Rajive Bhalla and Justice Amol Rattan Singh asked the accused to file reply on the state's appeal on July 4. Besides the state government, the victim - a 16-year-old Dalit girl - has also filed an appeal seeking punishment for all the four who were acquitted by the trial court.
She has submitted that the trial court had committed an error while acquitting the four who were equally responsible for the offence. The incident took place on September 9, 2012 when 8 persons allegedly raped the Dalit girl. The accused had recorded the incident on cell phones and later circulated the MMS clippings on the web.
The matter was reported to the police on September 19, 2013 when the girl's father committed suicide and the matter was widely reported in media. Police later arrested 8 persons and booked them for rape while two others were booked for harboring the accused.
The district and sessions court of Hisar in May 2013 had sentenced four youths - Pawan, Vikas, Rajkumar and Baljit, all residents of Dabra village - to life imprisonment but four others - Anil, Mahender, Kuldeep and Sunil - were acquitted. Two other accused Suresh and Sultan, who were booked for harbouring the accused, were also acquitted.
The appeal of Haryana government has come almost one year after the acquittal. According to sources, initially the law officers of the state had found the case unfit for appeal before the high court. However, after the victim's family strongly demanded filing of an appeal against the trial court's verdict, the state government decided to file the appeal.
The National Commission for Scheduled Caste had also recommended filing of an appeal challenging the acquittal.
Deccan Chronicle
Dalits are kept out of temple fete due to polls
http://www.deccanchronicle.
Chennai: Dalits of Nathanallur village near Walajabad in Kancheepuram were kept out of participating in the annual float festival of Ellaiamman temple on Tuesday after the district administration failed to intervene citing the Lok Sabha polls.
According to TN Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF), the Dalits who attended the conciliatory meeting at taluk officer on Monday were forced to agree to maintain status quo in the temple festival by police and revenue officials citing elections.
Condemning the district administration and police for acting in favour of caste Hindus, P. Bharathy Anna, district secretary of TNUEF, said that the government should not support the forces practising untouchability which is unconstitutional.
“We demanded the district administration to facilitate participation of Dalits in the float festival not just by manoeuvring the float but also let them travel on it. Besides, the procession of deity should be taken through the street inhabited by Dalits,” he said, citing the petition given by the front in this regard on April 2 and 25. He recalled that last year his front led Dalits to enter Adanjiamman temple in the village.
Even though demand for entry into the Ellaiamman temple and participation in the float festival has been made by Dalits since 1970s, no action had been taken by the district officials or the police till date, said G. Murugan, a Dalit living in the Nathanallur colony.
He said that every year during the float festival, there would be tension in the village as Dalit youth tries go near the float. Another Dalit said that usually the panchayat chief would travel in the float.
“Since the incumbent president is a Dalit, he will not be allowed to travel in it,” he said. The panchayat president post is reserved for SC as per the rotation policy. The villagers also allege discrimination in the ration shop.
Daiji World
Kundapur: Guddeangady's thirst for drinking water remains unattended
Silvester D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, Apr 30: A place called Guddeangady, which falls under Yadady Matyady village within Hombady Mandady gram panchayat limits in the taluk, remains thirsty for drinking water every summer. This recurring problem of thirst has gone unquenched since the last three years. The villagers are becoming increasingly angry at the total apathy shown by both the gram panchayat and people’s representatives to this grave problem.
Over 125 families live in Guddeangady, out of which, over 35 families belong to people from scheduled castes and tribes. The area turns bone dry during every summer, and the people are left with no water, either to satiate drinking water needs, or for other purposes.
The area got an overhead water tank over two decades back. In the past, water was being pumped to this tank from a rusted tube well standing by the side of Belur Road, about 2.5 km away from Guddeangady. As the water source there has dried up, water supply to the area was stopped. Officials of mines and geology department claim that Guddeangady and surrounding areas are bereft of any underground water source to draw water from.
The people of Guddeangady had led representations several times to the gram panchayat, taluk panchayat, and ministers, seeking sympathetic
While the residents of this place are left with the only option of cursing their fate and suffering untold miseries year after year, tragically the officials have not taken the issue with the seriousness it deserves.
Anand Yadady, convener of Dalit Sangharsh Samiti’s Yadady Matyady unit, says that petitions handed over to the gram panchayat explaining the water problems faced by the people here are getting rebuttals from adamant officials. ‘The area is reeling under drought. If the villagers do not get water within a week, we will be compelled to organize protest demonstration in front of the gram panchayatoffice. If the issue remains unresolved thereafter, we will hold dharna in front of the office of the district deputy commissioner,’ he said.
Santosh Kumar, village development officer of Hombady Mandady gram panchayat said that a sum of Rs 1.15 lac has already been sanctioned for mitigating the problems of these villagers, and that within a week, a tube well would be dug by the side of the earlier tube well, and drinking water supply would be resumed thereafter.
The New Indian Express
City Inter-Caste Romances Face Subtle Pressures
Last week, as the Bollywood release 2 States celebrated a cross-cultural romance, a bride was burnt to death in Mandya, just an hour's drive from Bangalore, because she hailed from a different caste.
The police arrested her father-in-law Billaiah for the crime. His explanation was he had killed Shilpa because her caste could pose an obstacle to the marriage of his daughter.
And such cases are not rare. Many families get violent to "resolve" issues raised by caste, religion, region and language.
But for city couples, the problems are more subtle. Violence triggered by caste differences often goes unreported.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Kamal Pant says in the past year that he has held office here, he has come across only two couples who sought protection against family.
City Express got some first-hand stories about how caste works in relationships.
Political pressure
Sreedevi Bringi says sometimes even well-intentioned parental interference can wreck a relationship. "My Central College classmate was forced by her academic-activist parents to marry a Dalit. He moved abroad with her for his job," she recalls.
After some spats, she wanted to leave him, but was coaxed by her parents to stay back. He killed her later, saying the arguments just wouldn't end.
Sonia (name changed), broke up with her boyfriend because he was from a different caste. "Dating someone from another caste is okay. But when it comes to marriage, things are different. I had to end my relationship because the odds were too many."
Sometimes love finds a way. Ambika, a 'loud Punjabi girl' from an Air Force background, met Arun, a Bangalorean Tamil, and as it happens in the movies, their love story began with a fight. Within a month, they were in love.
Ambika's father had no objections. Her mother, who had always been her best friend, disapproved clearly. The parents took Ambika back to her hometown of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. She wasn't allowed to receive Arun's calls or letters. Finally, after two years, both parties agreed and the marriage is going strong.
Rohini and Priyesh Shah's story began when a Gujarati boy and a Tulu Brahmin girl met, married and started an event management company. But to get to this stage was a challenge.
The girl's parents were a little easier to convince than the boy's. Priyesh's father was totally against it.
Astrologers were consulted and the girl turned out to be a 'manglik.' She was even made to marry a tree first.
At one point, Rohini had decided to call off the idea. Priyesh took up the responsibility of convincing the parents and after six difficult months, they agreed. A smaller question: Was it going to be a Gujarati wedding or a South-Indian one?
Guru's help
Yogeshvari, a Punjabi, and Tejas Doshi, a Gujarati, met at a spiritual guru's ashram. After three years of courtship, trouble began to brew. Her parents didn't want her to marry out of her caste. His parents tried to discourage her. Finally, their spiritual teacher intervened. And love triumphed.
Not all stories end so well. In Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate, an entire show was dedicated to how caste divides can destroy couples in love. The show had featured Love Commandos, a voluntary group that helps couples unite in the face of parental disapproval. The organisation today runs "shelters" all across India to help couples on the run.
Dashed romance
Ibrahim, a Bangalorean pharmacist, was in a relationship with Catherine, a nurse who worked in the hospital attached to the pharmacy. When he expressed his wish to marry her to his parents, he was met with shock, anger and opposition.
Unable to handle the pressure, Ibrahim suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalised. As he was recovering, his "well-wishers" managed to convince him that the girl had used 'black magic' to win him over.
In a few days, he called Catherine and broke off the relationship, and even made her sign a document saying she would never disturb him ever again. Ibrahim is now married to a woman of his community and has a child, while Catherine, who lost her parents at a young age, is struggling to make ends meet.
Police position
As Kamal Pant says, “In the two cases we got, we directed them to the local police station and gave them the inspectors’ numbers, and we haven’t heard from them since.”
He attributes the low numbers of caste-related crime against couples to urban culture and the anonymity that a big city like Bangalore provides.
“We do hear of honour killings in rural areas, yes, but not in Bangalore. Why, in areas like Tilak Nagar and Tannery Road, we hear of inter-religious marriages. It’s not necessarily because they are liberal but more because society is more porous there,” he adds.
When it comes to complaints between married couples, Pant says, they aren’t exclusive to couples from different socio-cultural-religious backgrounds. “Our police stations are filled with them, whether it’s across castes or religions, whether they are love marriages or arranged marriages,” he says.
Quota incentive
Siddalingaiah, founder of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti and former Karnataka MLC who has been striving to introduce five per cent school and job reservations for children from inter-caste marriages, feels such marriages require thought and planning.
“Ideally, the couple should wait till both the bride and the groom are financially independent. At least one of them should have a steady income,” says the Dalit poet, who is married to a Brahmin, a former student.
His reasoning: family support may not be forthcoming.
He says both in Bangalore as well as in other places, inter-caste and inter-religion marriages are on the rise, as are the problems that come with them, honour killings topping the list.
“That’s a wrong term for it—the act is a reflection of an beast-like attitude. It started up in the North and has spread in Karnataka as well. It’s mostly the brides who are killed, sometimes the couple,” he says.
However, he’s hopeful of change. “Kids these days don’t care about caste and religion, and with time, perhaps, parents too will be able to see from their perspective,” he says.
Officials in the police department support such marriages, and NGOs step in, too.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has attended several events in support of the cause, and the current advocate-general Ravivarma Kumar was the chairman of the Backward Classes Commission,” he continues. The scriptures have nothing against people from different castes and religions tying the knot, he explains. “On the contrary, there are so many examples of such matches,” he says. “Veda Vyasa is the child of such a couple — Parashara, a brahmin and Matsyagandha from the fishermen community.”
(With inputs from Chetana Divya Vasudev, Indumathy Sukanya, Shyama Krishna Kumar and Natasha Doshi)
The New Indian Express
In a Fix, College Calls Dalits for Exam
The two Dalit students, prevented from writing their English Paper-I examination on Monday, were invited by the National College management to attend the upcoming examinations on May 3, thanks to the police and the Directorate of Collegiate Education’s prompt actions.
The two students of National College, K Iyyamperumal (19), son of Karuppaiah, a first year BA (English) and M Periyasamy (19), son of Muthaiyan, first year B Sc (Maths), were stopped by the college management to write the examination, despite an order by the Madurai bench of Madras high court directing the administration to allow them to take the examination.
Subsequently, the students lodged a complaint with with Sessions Court police station against the Principal and the Vice Principal and a case was registered against them under sections 506 of IPC and sec 3 (1) (X) of SC/ST (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989.
The police officials held talks with both the sides and then the college management sent the hall tickets of students to their residential address through post and also handed over the hall ticket in person through police officials.
However, the students refused to accept the offer until settling the matter straight. They finally, agreed to attend their second examination, which is scheduled to be held on April 30. “Though we agreed to attend the examination at college premises, we would not take back the case”, they said.
The Indian Express
Noida village simmers after Gujjars and Dalits clash
Tension ran high in Kanavani village in Noida through Monday night and Tuesday, after a 22-year-old was killed and several injured in Gujjar-Dalit clashes over a property dispute on Monday morning.
The youth, Rahul Kasana, was shot dead and several homes and vehicles destroyed after a clash between Gujjars and Dalits broke out on Monday morning. Following this, a heavy police contingent, including three platoons of the PAC, were deployed there through Monday night.
Despite this, senior police officers said on Monday night an armed group of men from the Gujjar community attacked Dalit homes and destroyed a small private school owned by a Dalit.
Senior officers, however, said there were “no injuries or casualties” and the situation remained “calm but tense” on Tuesday.
According to police, on Monday morning, a dispute between Des Raj, an ex-pradhan of the village, and Chaman Singh over a 65 square-metre plot had turned ugly, with members of both communities attacking the other.
In the melee, Kasana, a BCom student, was shot dead and several injured. Further enraged by the “killing”, which police believe is to beaccidental, Gujjars torched vehicles and destroyed property. They also tried to enter a school where Dalit children studied, but were driven away by police.
Despite the heavy police presence, a group of Gujjars, armed with weapons and two bulldozers, on Monday night attacked Dalit homes, police said. “They destroyed a private school and took down electricity poles near Dalit homes. The aim was to intimidate Dalits. Some Dalit families have already left the village out of fear,” a villager said.
SSP (Gautam Buddh Nagar) Preetinder Singh said, “We have told villagers that strict action will be taken against anyone taking law into their hands. We are looking into how this incident could have taken place despite the police presence. The school that was destroyed was 2 km outside the village. We have arrested two more people for the same and more personnel have been deployed in the area. Further investigations are under way.”
The New Indian Express
Probe Ordered into Dalit Assault Case
Hundreds of members of Dalit community gheraoed the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) on Monday demanding departmental action against an Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI) in Chandaka police station for brutally assaulting a Dalit youth Saroj Dehury.
State president of National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NCDO) Ashok Kumar Mallick said the ASI assaulted Dehury without properly verifying the allegation levelled against him of sending vulgar messages to a girl.
“Even though Dehury pleaded his innocence, he was tortured by the ASI who even demanded `1,100 from him for his release,” Mallick said. Few other instances of assault on Dalits by police in the recent past were also reported by the NCDO.
Later, members of NCDO submitted a memorandum to Police Commissioner RP Sharma and DCP Nitinjeet Singh asking them to take action against the ASI besides investigating other matters relating to assaults on Dalits. In response to the demands of NCDO, the Police Commissioner directed Additional DCP BN Dandapat to initiate an inquiry into the matter and submit the report within a week.
Odisha Dairy
Odisha: Dalit organizations lodged protest against Baba Ramdev for hurting sentiment of community
Bhubaneswar: Eight Dalit organizations in Odisha protested against Baba Ramdev’s remark on Dalit community. They hold a protest rally at Matster Canteen square of Bhubaneswar on Monday. On the other hand The Dalit Samaj of Nuapada district on Monday lodged a complaint at the Khariar police station against Baba Ramdev for hurting sentiment of the Dalit community. "The words ‘picnic’ and ‘honeymoon’ in Dalit bastis are very insulting and abusive which directly hit the dignity of Dalit women and hurt the emotion of Scheduled Caste people, especially the untouchables," said the written complaint submitted to the Inspector-in-Charge of the Khariar police station. President of District Schedule Caste Welfare Society Fakir Mohan Jagat told the media, "The statement of Guru Ramdev has dealt severe mental humiliation and insult to us, and on behalf of the SC community of Nuapada, I strongly condemn and protest the insulting and abusive words." Jagat informed that the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Khariar initially refused to accept the complaint stating that the place of occurrence is far from the jurisdiction of the Khariar police. "After a lot of discussions on the Prevention of Atrocity Act 1989, the SDPO finally accepted the complaint as a station diary but not as an FIR," said Jagat. More than 100 people belonging to different Dalit communities had arrived at the police station to lodge the complaint. District office-bearer of SC Welfare Society Nimai Charan Tandi along with block presidents of the society were also present.
The Pioneer
BABA RAMDEV’S REMARK ON DALITS CONDEMNED, ARREST SOUGHT
Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Sabha, Ambedkar Youth Union and Ravidas Sabha have jointly condemned Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev’s controversial remarks on Dalits and demanded his arrest with immediate effect on Tuesday.
Yoga guru had made a comment that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visits Dalit house for picnic and honeymoon. ABMS member Indu Naudiyal alleged "Baba Ramdev has targeted the Dalit community. We condemned his statement and demand his immediate arrest." Other member said that Ramdev's remark was not only seen as a political attack on Rahul Gandhi, but also as an insult to Dalit women. After lodging an FIR against Baba Ramdev under SC/ST Act, he should be arrested immediately. District secretary Lekhraj condemned Ramdev’s derogatory comments strongly and demanded his arrest soon.
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