---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shiva Shankar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Aug 1, 2007 8:56 AM
Subject: Justice in Hindustan
To: undisclosed-recipients
" ... Eight Dalits were hacked to death in broad daylight on August 6,
1991, with over 400 people chasing them ..... ... special judge felt that
it was not the rarest of the rare cases, which attracted death
penalty...."
The massacre of Dalits by a Hindu mob is certainly not the rarest of rare
cases, it is the norm in Hindustan.
Shiva SHankar.
----------------------------
The Hindu, August 1, 2007.
21 get life sentence for Tsundur massacre
Ramesh Susarla
Tsundur (Guntur Dt.): Twenty one persons have been sentenced to life
imprisonment and 35 others one-year rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of
Rs.2000 each in the sensational Tsundur massacre case.
Eight Dalits were hacked to death in broad daylight on August 6,
1991, with over 400 people chasing them along the bund of an irrigation
canal in Tsundur. Delivering the judgement seven days short of anniversary
of the attack on Dalits of Malapalli here, special judge Anis of Special
COurt under the SC/STs Prevention of (Atrocities) Act 1989, felt it was
not the rarest of the rare cases, which attracted the death penalty. In
the country's first-ever special court set up for trying a case under the
Act at the scene of the offence, the judge acquitted 123 out of the 179
accused. In the case of 41 accused, the court did not find any evidence,
while 62 of them were released on benefit of doubt. The other 20 were let
off due to omission of evidence or having only single witnesses.
-------------------
> Tsunduru Massacre of Dalits
>
> Karamchedu and Tsunduru are not mere incidents of atrocities against
> Dalits but are significant landmarks in the history of Dalit movement in
> Andhra Pradesh. The movement articulated a new sense of self-respect,
> reclaimed the constitutional rights of Dalits and consolidated an
> important anchor in the interlinked fields of welfare/ rights/ policies/
> studies related to Dalits in A.P. Tsunduru strengthened the demand for a
> Dalit president which ultimately led to the appointment of
> Dr.K.R.Narayanan, as the 8th President of the Republic of India.
>
> Dalit Mahasabha, the harbinger of Dalit movement, which was formed in
> the wake of Karamchedu, took up the Tsunduru incident in an exemplary
> manner. Under their consummate leadership, the massacred Dalits were
> cremated right in the middle of village Tsunduru and the place was named
> Raktakshetram (The Land of Blood), a live reminder of the atrocity. They
> brought together the shattered community, scattered all over the
> district, and sheltered them in well-maintained camps for nine months,
> with meager resources and without any help from the state agencies. Over
> the next two years, the Sabha saw to it that four hundred and fifty
> families were given pucca houses; that the victims' families were given
> compensation of Rs.One lakh each, that eighty seven members of the
> community got government jobs and that those who were cultivators were
> given agricultural land of half acre each. The community settled back in
> their own village. In short, the Sabha ensured that the traumatized
> community stood on its feet again psychologically, economically,
> socially and politically to be able to continue their life and struggle
> for justice on their own. While Dalit Mahasabha has moved to other
> issues, Tsundur remains strongly on their agenda.
>
> The struggle for the securing of these rights was long and bloody.
> During this time, while the main accused were not arrested, several of
> the protesting Dalits and their leaders were arrested and given prison
> sentences. Some of the young Dalit activists abandoned their education,
> refused marriage and dedicated themselves to the cause of Tsunduru. Anil
> Kumar, a key witness to the incident, was killed in police firing when
> they were staging a dharna to set the law in motion.
>
> The emergence of a strong Dalit movement also led to an important change
> in the left politics of Andhra Pradesh. Almost all the left political
> parties started separate wings to work on issues of caste. The ML
> parties had rallied to the side of victims during the time of the
> Tsunduru incident, which confirmed the primary character of caste
> oppression first seen at Karamchedu. While Janasakti was the first one
> to start DAFODAM (Democratic Action Forum for Dalits and Minorities),
> Kulavivaksha Vyatireka Porata Samiti of CPI(M) and Kula Nirmulana Porata
> Samiti. The latter two organizations have over the last few years
> developed a presence in many areas where they have been working on
> atrocities on Dalits. If the constitutional approach of the Dalit
> Mahasabha strengthened the Dalit movement, the presence of ML groups led
> to an increased confidence and interest among the young. Frustration
> with the institutional casteism (especially among the police) faced by
> the wearying work of Dalit politics post-Tsunduru only strengthened
> their belief in the need for a violent political confrontation.
>
> Looking at both the Dalit Mahasabha's growth and at the formation and
> increasing influence of Dalit organizations among the left liberal and
> ML parties, it is clear that the Tsunduru incident has been a formative
> experience in Dalit politics from the nineties onwards. It is understood
> by all the parties on the side of the Dalits that the continuing drive
> for justice and strength is yet another chapter in the legacy of
> Tsunduru.
>
> All these developments have a bearing on the trial (which finally
> commenced a few days back). The first witness was unable to give her
> account due to distress, and her position in the witness order was
> changed by the prosecutor as he feared that she was under duress.
> Testimony was given on 1st December by Merukonda Subbarao, who had
> served as the first president of the Tsunduru Victims Association.
> This fifty six year old daily wage-worker, identified and named forty of
> the accused standing in the court room, from among the one hundred and
> eighty three accused. The incident was etched in his memory so strongly
> that he did not falter despite the judges requests to repeat the
> identification. He also withstood the cross-examination by the defense
> counsel.
>
> The magnitude of Subbarao's act calls for a respectful salute. What does
> it take for a Dalit to stand up against the might of the upper-caste and
> name oppressors in a court, when in the past, he could not even walk on
> the street with them, leave alone look them in the eye? How many more
> Subbaraos will be needed before such incidents become part of a shameful
> history to be left behind? The Dalit women understood what he had done,
> and gathered quietly round him, felicitating his act when he came out of
> the court room. By the next day scores of Dalits from surrounding
> villages thronged the Special Court in Tsunduru to witness the trial.
> That the Tsunduru Dalits are no longer afraid to give witness offers
> just cause of celebration. They understand that it is the positioning of
> the court in the Dalitwada, and all that symbolizes that has made this
> moment possible. It is for us to follow their lead.
>
> - Swathy Margaret and S. Jaya
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