Caste violence against Dalits either overtly or covertly is a common feature of Indian educational scenario including IITs, IIMs, Law institutes, AIIMS, central and state universities, degree colleges, and medical and engineering colleges across the country. Violence and the following police brutality against Dalits in Dr. Ambedkar Law College, chennai indicate that the non-Dalit world need to be "civilised" and brought into the "mainstream" by means of cultural uplift. Let us hope that the democratic Dalit movement will take care of the "non-Dalit cultural backwardness" as well. Clashes at the Law College – Fact Finding committee report
Commitee of Academics and Human rights activists Contact address 3/5 First cross street, Sastri Nagar, Adayar, Chennai-20 Mobile: 94441 20582, 94442 14175, 94434 39869 The clash that took place on 12th November at the Chennai Dr.Ambedkar Law College has shaken the entire state. The fact that these clashes have taken caste lines seeks extra concern. Based on the repeated telecast in visual media the general understanding amongst public is that of particular community students conducting a heinous attack on another community students. From a lay viewpoint though this seems like the actual truth, this is just a half truth. This issue has much deeper roots. We cannot understand this problem without a clear knowledge of the existing caste equations within the law college and the caste system as a whole. Many law college students, teachers and social activists brought these things to our notice. As a result a fact finding committee comprising of Academics and Human rights activists was formed with the following members. Dr. A. Marx, K. Palanisamy, Advocate Rajini, Thai.Kandasamy(PUCL), Advocate Kesavan, Advocate Sujatha (CPCL), Advocate Manoharan (IAPL), Academics Dr.P.Sivakumar (Former principal, L.N.Govt arts college, Gudiyatham), Dr.K.Santhosham,(Former Physics Professor, Presidency College), Prof. J.Lenin (Loyola College), C.Jerome Samraj (Iyothee dasar scholar forum), R.Revathi (Penngal sandippu), Advocate Raghavan. This team met the students Bharathi kannan S/o Devakottai Karuppiah(IVth year student), Ayya Durai S/o Sankaran Koil Mariyappa Thevar, (II year student), Arumugam S/o Kamaraj, Tiruvannamalai(IIIrd year student), all three admitted for treatment at the Government general hospital, Chennai, student Chithirai Selvan S/o Kuppusami, Pattukottai (IVth year student), admitted for treatment at the Royapettah General Hospital (IVth Year), And dalit students kept at the Puzhal Central prison Prem Kumar, Ilayaraja, Ashok, Gokul raj, Kanaga Raj, Gopala Krishnan, Siva.Kadiravan, P.Govindan, V.Govindhan, and the newly appointed principal of the Dr.Ambedkar law College Prof. Mohammed Iqbal, professors who were eye witness to the incident, and Scientist Gopal and advocate Rajini Kanth who happened to be at the spot of violence. They also met the flower bazaar Assistant Commissioner of Police Bala Chandran and had a telephonic conversation with the Esplanade police inspector Jeyakodi. We met the parents of the affected students too. Back Ground: The clashes between students in the Dr.Ambedkar law college have been happening for many years now. Apart from the direct caste clashes the student clashes have happened between the hostellers and between hostellers and day scholars. A huge majority of the hostellers are dalit (149). Only 7 students from the backward communities stay at the hostel. In all the above mentioned clashes Caste has played key role. For instance even the clash between the hostellers and day scholars also has to be seen as a caste clash. In this situation, a caste organization was formed in the law college for the first time. Until now many political parties have had their presence in the campus but never a caste outfit. This "Mukkulathor Manavar Peravai (Mukkulathor student organization)" was initiated and supported by Thevar peravai and other caste organizations from outside. This outfit has the habit of celebrating October 30 of every year as Thevar Jeyanthi on Muthuramalinga thevar's birth anniversary. In all the posters and pamphlets printed for this function apart from casteist slogans the name of the Dr.Ambedkar law college has been truncated to Chennai Law College removing Dr.Ambedkar's name. The college administration also let this happen unhindered. This has created a feeling of hurt and anger in the minds of the dalit students studying in the college. In all the functions that take place in the college garlanding the Ambedkar statue inside the premises is a regular event. However during Thevar Jeyanthi procession this has been avoided. Last academic year beginning some senior students have ragged the fresher. The ragging was a mild teasing unlike the serious ragging. During this a student Vijay pradeep has threatened his seniors by saying "Don't play with me without knowing about my background. My uncle is the first accused in the Melavalavu morgues murder case." This has inflamed both sides. This Vijay pradeep has been instrumental in grouping the Students on caste lines and many including professors of the college say that he was mainly involved in the October 30 Thevar jeyanthi celebrations. This year also posters were printed at the end of October for thevar jeyanthi. Mukkulathor Students federation students say that some dalit students infuriated at the removal of Dr. Ambedkar from the name of the law college tore away a few of these posters. Dalit students claim that they did not tear the posters but only asked the Mukkulathor federation students about the deletion. So some kind of an altercation has taken place on this issue that day. As a result one side of the students has threatened the dalit students saying "If you come to write the exam we will hit you and break your legs." We have to understand one thing in this. When we say Dalit students it refers to the dalit students in the hostel. As they all stay in the hostel together they have the opportunity to discuss issues and act collectively. So they have been the target in many a caste violence. There has been a previous enmity between the wounded and arrested student Chithirai Selvan and the wounded students Bharathi kannan and Arumugam. On a complaint given by Chithirai Selvan two years ago there are PCR cases that were charged on Bharathi Kannan and Arumugam for attacking Chithirai Selvan. Bharathi kannan had taken an anticipatory bail in this case. Arumugam accepted to us that there is a PCR case on him. Police Inspector Jeyakodi informed us that out of 11 cases filed on law college students three were on Bharathi kannan. In this context when exams started on Nov.5th some dalit students didn't appear for exams out of fear. Bharathi kannan and Arumugam have threatened some students who came despite the threat. On November 7th, students Meghanathan, Shivaraj, Raja and Ezhumalai were attacked in the bus stop near the college by a group including Bharathi kannan, Arumugam, Ayya Durai, Vijay pradeep, Tirulokeswaran and Sukumaran we hear. The dalit students have met and discussed this incident in the hostel and have decided not to go to police since exams were happening and instead decided to provide protection to the dalit students who are writing exams. Even professors have seen Bharathi Kannan roaming with a knife inside the premises. It is significant to note that Bharathi kannan and Arumugam did not have any exam on the day of the incident. Some professors have dispersed students who were trying to stop dalit students from writing the exams. In this background the November 12 incidents have taken place. The November 12 incident On the day of the violent incident, Bharathi Kannan and his group tried stopping some dalit students from entering the college to write exams. Some professors and the in charge principal Sridev have gone and dispersed the group. Meanwhile hearing that dalit students are being threatened and stopped from writing exams around 40 hostellers armed with sticks arrived at the college from Purasawakkam in buses. A professor confirmed to us that apart from the casuarina sticks that they had they did not pocess any dangerous weapons. In this melee the college administration has shut the gates of the college. The students have pushed the gates open and ran into the premises. When the Principal and the professors came to enquire they have told them that they have no intention of hurting anyone and that their only purpose was to provide protection to the students who were writing exams. A disturbed college administration sought the police's help. The principal has sent a written complaint to the nearby Esplanade police station. When tensions escalated he had gone in person also to the station to seek intervention. Assistant Commissioner Narayana Moorthy who is presently under suspension has given Bahujan Samaj Party leader Armstrong's phone number and Advocates association president Paul kanagaraj's number to the principal and suggested that he can disperse the students by asking these two to mediate. The principal has done the same. Advocate Rajini kanth has also spoken to the students on the request of the principal. Scientist Gopal was with him at that time. The students had told them also that they are there for the protection of those hostellers writing the exam. As they were leaving the college and getting into the high court Scientist Gopal has seen Bharathi Kannan sharpening his knife on a stone near the parapet wall separating the Law College and the High Court. Meanwhile Ayya Durai has come out of the exam hall after completing his exams. As Ayya Durai has previously stopped dalit students from writing their exams and attacked them the dalit students have attacked him. But as they realized that Ayya Durai was unarmed on that day they have actually comforted him, gave water to him and sent him away. This was witnessed by Advocate Prakash who had come to escort his daughter who was writing the same exam. Professors also confirm. At this juncture Bharathi kannan and Arumugam came running with knifes into the college. The scene of Bharathi kannan running with a raised Knife is well registered in the visuals of the incident shown on Television. When we visited Bharathi Kannan we were told that he was under sedation. His parents spoke to us. Arumugam who spoke to us clearly agreed that he and Bharathi kannan had knifes on them. He told us that they both went inside after hearing that Ayya Durai was being beaten up to protect him. The dalit students have backed seeing Bharathi kannan running to them with an open knife yelling abuses on them. We saw that Bharathi Kannan and Arumugam's past enmity with Chithirai Selvan. Both armed with knives have pounced on Chithirai selvan. Seeing chithirai selvan fall with heavy injuries on his head and body the enraged dalit students have hit both. We saw on visual media that the two were beaten up badly after their knives fell to the ground. We also saw that the police despite being present on the spot did not take any effort to stop the violence or disperse the students. Present Situation: Three cases have been registered after the November 12th incident. 1. Crime no 1371/2008 on 8 dalit students and others. In this so far 23 dalit students have been arrested. They are lodged in the Puzhal central jail and in the Saidapet sub jail. Chithirai Selvan admitted at the Royapettah Government hospital has also been arrested. Sections 147, 148, 307, 506(2) (Attempt to murder) of the IPC have been invoked on these students. 1. Crime no. 1372/2008 is the case registered based on the complaint given by Chithirai selvan in which Bharathi kannan and Arumugam have been named. Unlike in the above case unnamed others are not added to this. Only Section 506(2) i.e., Murder threat of IPC has been invoked. No body has been arrested so far. 1. Crime no 1373/2008: This is based on the complaint given by the principal. Based on a complaint given by the principal we hear that some students were arrested on 19th. The state has taken action on some police officers by transferring them and placing them under suspension. Our Views 1. It's disturbing to note that violence and caste based outfits prevailing in the campus. The violence on 12th is strongly condemnable. But November 12 violence should not be seen just in the context of that day's incidents. It should be seen in the context of the series of events that have taken place in the campus. 2. Caste based outfits should not be allowed to function inside college premises. Specifically the college administration should have prevented posters being made without Dr.Ambedkar's name in the college name and putting out of such posters near the premises. The college should have resorted to counseling, organizing parents-students-police meetings if required, punitive action when decisions are violated to deal with such issues. 3. The police claim that the college administration did not allow them inside on that day. But the college administration says that they gave a written complaint. When we spoke to the police inspector Jeyakodi about this he said he did not know about the complaint. But he also mentioned that he only lifted the wounded students and took them to the hospital. This attitude of the police is worrisome. When a cognizable offence is taking place in front of their eyes to stop that they do not need any order or permission. 4. Most government colleges especially the law colleges are an extension of Tamil rural life. The caste feelings that operate in these villages reflect in the campuses also. Not just in the City law college in most of the government colleges this is the status. This problem is prevalent in the Coimbatore Law College also. For this problem to be more pronounced in the law colleges the nature of the legal profession is itself an important reason. Registering as an advocate is itself a caste related event today. Political parties do not condemn this. We can see that a student being part of a political party as well as a caste based outfit. 5. Government colleges and Law colleges are grossly neglected by the state. Teacher vacancies are filled up with immediacy. Many classes get cancelled due to this. Students idly standing in the campus when classes get cancelled results in small fights at times. We heard that at least 55 vacancies exist unfilled in the Dr.Ambedkar Law College Chennai. But at the same time in the "Elite Schools" that the self same government runs its public knowledge that classes run regularly. It is important to note that the Dr.Ambedkar law College did not even have a permanent Principal at the time of this incident. A college functioning under in charge principal cannot enable stern decisions and conduct. 6. The commission set to enquire a clash that took place some years back had given a set of recommendations. These recommendations including the one to appoint a permanent full time residential warden have not been implemented so far. 7. Preventing students from writing their exams have far reaching implications on the students' life and career. The college administration should have been concerned about this. Neither the college Administration nor the professors could confirm the number of students who could not write their exams due to threatening. 8. Both the government and the police have the narrow outlook of dalit students attacking the Thevar students. Every dalit student who came across the police eyes has been arrested. Gokul Raj, a student totally unconnected to the incident and who is not even a student of the Dr.Ambedkar Law college has been arrested as he was passing that way and placed in the Puzhal central jail. When he told them he is a student of the Tirupathi college the police have asked him to go but then called him back and asked him which caste he belongs to and when he answered "Dalit" he was immediately arrested. Students Ilamugil, Kanagaraj, Gopalakrishnan, Dileepan are also innocent and unrelated to this incident though they study in the same college. They were also arrested just because they were dalits. The parents of these students have also been harassed. Some officials have verbally abused the arrested students. Recommendations 1. Caste based outfits functioning inside the campus and publishing pamphlets and posters should be banned. The actual name of a college should be used in the full form. It should be made a crime to remove any word from the name of a college including "Dr.Ambedkar" 2. In the present context the demand from some quarters to remove Dr.Ambedkar's name from the law college name is strongly condemnable and the state should not accept this. 3. Similar clashes have taken place in the Coimbatore Law College and other colleges. Students writing exams in these colleges have also been attacked. State and administration should take action and prevent violence. 4. The action taken by the state are one sided. Even though chithirai selvan is grievously injured in his head and his ear torn his attackers have not been charged with attempt to murder. The caste based outfit's other students who were in the back ground for these clashes have not been named in the FIR. These are condemnable. State should rectify these serious errors immediately. 5. Harassing parents in the name of searching the students should be avoided. Innocent students who have been arrested particularly the Tirupathi college student Gokul raj should be released forthwith. 6. The inaction from the police despite a written complaint from the principal has to be enquired. The same police who gave the Bahujan samaj party leader Armstrong's number to the principal to seek his mediation seem to have plans to arrest him in this regard. If this is being done under the pressure of other caste based organizations it's wrong and this also has to be enquired. 7. Teaching vacancies in the college should be filled immediately. Exams that are put on hold should be conducted immediately. Special separate exams should be conducted for those students who could not write their exams due to threatening after enquiry. Permanent counseling mechanism and peace committee should be formed in the college. A full time residential Warden should be appointed to the hostel 8. Similar to the house surgeon training imparted to medical students, law students in their final years (III and V) should placed on training in government's legal departments, legal cell authority, High court registry and other suitable places as apprentice with pay 9. All the students housed in the Saidapet sub jail should be transferred to the Puzhal Central prison. -- Ranjit --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
