[ZESTCaste] Take measures to avoid Khairlanji-like incidents in future: Ashok Chavan
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_take-measures-to-avoid-khairlanji-like-incidents-in-future-ashok-chavan_1427744 Take measures to avoid Khairlanji-like incidents in future: Ashok Chavan Published: Monday, Aug 23, 2010, 21:21 IST Place: Mumbai | Agency: PTI Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan today said that an independent institution like Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) should be asked to study the root cause of social tensions and suggest remedies to avoid incidents like dalit killings in Khairlanji in future. Chavan had convened a meeting to discuss the Khairlanji issue and incidents of injustice meted out to scheduled caste citizens. He said that the CBI which investigated the case of the murders of four members of a Dalit family in Khairlanji, has decided to appeal against the high court judgment of converting the death sentence of the six accused to 25 years imprisonment, in the Supreme Court. The chief minister also stressed the need to examine how the state government can successfully put forth its stand in the apex court. He felt the need of the hour was to understand the reasons behind atrocities on dalits and find lasting solutions.
[ZESTCaste] Teachers turn devil for a nursery boy Dalit kids
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/109858/India/teachers-turn-devil-for-a-nursery-boy--dalit-kids.html Teachers turn devil for a nursery boy Dalit kids Akash Vashishtha Ghaziabad, August 22, 2010 Bihar: 8-yr-old thrashed for Rs 2 The principal of a Ghaziabad school allegedly beat up a Class I student for stepping out of the classroom. Sanjog Kumar (5) sustained an injury in his head that needed a visit to a hospital and seven stitches. The student of Brightland Public School in Govindpuram started bleeding profusely after the principal slapped him and hit him with a stick, his family alleged. During recess, the principal, Balvin Khandelwal, reportedly came to the nursery class and found my son outside the room. She slapped Sanjog and asked him to go back to the class, Sanjog's father, Sanjay, an electronics dealer, said. But Sanjog, it appears was in no mood to listen to the teacher. After a while, Sanjog went out of the class again. But when the principal caught him standing outside the classroom again, she got annoyed and hit him with a stick. The force of her blow threw Sanjog against the corner of a wooden bench and his head hit one of its edges, Sanjay said. According to the boy's parents, they received a call from the school around10.30 am. They were told Sanjog had taken a fall while indulging in some mischief and was injured. We immediately rushed to the school and were surprised to see that the school had kept him as he was. They had not even administered first aid, Sanjay said. The parents also found that Sanjog had bled profusely from the cut and his uniform was blood- stained. The school staff had changed his dress as it was completely soaked in blood, Sanjay said. The boy's father also alleged that he was initially not allowed even to meet the principal. When we sought their permission to take our son to a hospital, they prevented us from doing so and said the school would do it, he said. The parents also alleged that the principal was rude when they met her. When we told the principal we were paying the fees to get our child educated and not to get him beaten up, she told us she would issue us a transfer certificate, Sanjay said. Sanjog was taken to the MMG Hospital where he the injury was stitched and dressed. Sanjay later lodged a complaint with the Kavi Nagar police, who have registered a case against the principal. SSP Raghubir Lal said: We are probing the incident. It cannot be allowed to recur. We will also send a report to the district administration about the incident. The principal denied she had hit the boy or that the school had ignored the boy's injury. Sanjog got injured when I was taking him to his classroom, Balvin said.
[ZESTCaste] Mayawati backs demand for amendment of Land Acquisition Act
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mayawati-backs-demand-for-amendment-of-land-acquisition-act/663567/ Mayawati backs demand for amendment of Land Acquisition Act Agencies Posted online: Mon Aug 23 2010, 23:56 hrs Lucknow : Under fire on the issue of land acquisition for an Expressway project, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today backed the demand for amendment to the Land Acquisition Act while blaming shortcomings of the legislation for the recent farmers' agitation in the state. Mayawati has said her government and party supported the demand of farmers regarding amendment in the Land Acquisition Act 1894, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters here. She has also backed the proposed plan of farmers to gherao Parliament on August 26 on the issue, he said. Meanwhile Mayawati, in a statement, claimed the farmers were forced to take to the streets every now and then due to shortcomings in the Act. Since long the farmers had been demanding to redefine public purpose in the act, but pro-industrialist governments at the Centre kept mum on the issue, she said in a statement. Mayawati alleged that in the name of SEZ 50,000 hectare land of farmers was acquired and handed over to industrialists across the country. Due to the anti-farmer policy of the UPA, they are forced to agitate in several states in the country, she alleged. The CM further charged that lakhs of acres of forest land were acquired in the name of industrialisation due to which tribals were dislodged from their native place and have now taken to naxalism. She alleged that during its six-year regime even the previous NDA government overlooked the problem of the farmers. The BJP leaders, instead of wasting time in giving speeches during farmers agitation, should create pressure on the Centre to amend the act, she said. Mayawati said her party was of the view that farmers land should be acquired only with their consent. To protect the interest of the farmers, in 2007 the BSP government implemented a new policy wherein land would be taken as per the agreement rules, she said. Mayawati claimed that as far as issue related to farmers land in Aligarh and Agra was concerned, it had been resolved. Anti-government elements were trying to disturb law and order situation in the state in the name of this issue, she alleged. Instead of visiting these places, people of various political parties should create pressure on the Centre for permanent solution to the problem of the farmers and ensure amendment in the Act, she said.
[ZESTCaste] Raped repeatedly, Naxal leader quits Red ranks
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Raped-repeatedly-Naxal-leader-quits-Red-ranks/articleshow/6423200.cms Raped repeatedly, Naxal leader quits Red ranksRakhi Chakrabarty, TNN, Aug 24, 2010, 01.02am IST var facebookktitle='Raped repeatedly, Naxal leader quits Red ranks';var facebooksyn='TOI travels to the jungles on the Bengal-Jharkhand border to meet a disillusioned Maoist area commander, Uma, who says she is prepared to risk her life and surrender in order to escape unbearable sexual exploitation by her comrades and superiors.'; There's a wide gulf between what Naxals practise and preach, says Uma. (TOI Photo) Somewhere On The Bengal-Jharkhand Border: The eerie calm in the dense sal forest is deafening. Walking along a snaking dirt track, a clear patch appears. Sitting on a rock, hidden by thick, emerald green foliage, is the diminutive figure of a woman, a gamchha (thin towel) covering her head. Her blue salwar-kameez meld with the surroundings. Her eyes dart around at the slightest hint of sound. Shobha Mandi, alias Uma, alias Shikha, gives a searching look and then smiles. The 23-year-old CPI-Maoist Jhargram area commander says she was expecting us. From commanding 25-30 armed Maoist squad members, Uma turned a fugitive four months ago. She fled her command post on the plea of seeing a doctor. She hid with her aunt for a short while; and now she says she wants the world to know her story. She wants to surrender and is likely to give up Naxalism on August 26. Why did she decide to shed her battle fatigues seven years after she joined the Naxals? They committed injustices against which they claimed they were fighting, said Uma. As a recruit, I protested against the habits of some leaders in the presence of Kishanji. Nobody liked it. The leaders instructed the squad members not to speak to me. I was isolated and warned of dire consequences if I protested, she said. What didn't she like about the leaders? They rape, she shot back, eyes flashing with rage. After about a year of joining Naxals, I was put on night-long sentry duty at a forest camp in Jharkhand. Suddenly, out of the dark, Bikash (now, head of the state military commission) came up and asked me for water. As I turned to fetch it, he grabbed me and tried to do 'kharap kaaj' (indecent acts). When she objected, Bikash threatened to strangle her. After forcing her into submission, Bikash raped her, she said. She was 17 then. He warned me against telling anyone about this. But, I told Akash (Kishanji's confidant and a state committee member). He said he would look into it but did nothing. In fact, Akash's wife, Anu, lives with Kishanji, Uma said. Most women recruits are exploited by senior Maoists. Senior women leaders, too, have multiple sexual partners, Uma said. If a member gets pregnant, she has no choice but to abort: A child is seen as a burden that hampers the agility of guerrillas. Uma has heard tales of brutalization of other women Naxals, too. Seema (then a recruit) told me that Akash raped her as well. Rahul (alias Ranjit Pal) raped Belpahari squad commander Madan Mahato's wife, Jaba. In this case, the party punished Rahul, who is a key weapons trainer at Maoist camps. He was removed from the regional committee for three months, said Uma. State committee secretary Sudip Chongdar, alias Goutam, was also punished for similar acts, she said, and transferred to Jharkhand's West Singbhum district. Maoists divide time between forest camps and hideouts in villages. Villagers can't refuse shelter to gun-toting Maoists. Also, they must keep all night vigil to alert them against police raids. When Sudip took shelter in villages, he raped women in their homes. They were too scared to protest, said Uma. Many of her senior leaders exploited her sexually. One day, says Uma, Kamal Maity, who is a Bengal-Jharkhand-Orissa regional committee member, came to her rescue. At a meeting attended by Kishanji and other top Maoists, Kamal proposed a relationship with Uma. The leaders agreed. After Jaba's incident, I learnt that a woman cadre is protected against sexual exploitation only if she is with a senior leader, she said. That was a turning point and she rose steadily in Naxal ranks. Uma is on the police's most wanted list. She is suspected to have planned and executed a series of attacks, including the massacre of 24 EFR jawans in Silda (February 2010); a raid on Sankrail police station in which two policemen were killed and an officer abducted (October 2009). She is also one of the suspects in Jharkhand MP Sunil Mahato's murder in 2007. She mentored PCPA members, including Bapi Mahato who is in jail for the Jnaneswari train sabotage. Last year, when the joint central and state forces advanced into Lalgarh to break an eight-month siege, she along with other Maoists fired at the police. In Jhargram, she is known as didi. According to a source, Uma
[ZESTCaste] State consults legal experts for taking Khairlanji case to Supreme Court
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_state-consults-legal-experts-for-taking-khairlanji-case-to-supreme-court_1427819 State consults legal experts for taking Khairlanji case to Supreme Court Published: Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010, 0:52 IST By Shubhangi Khapre | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA The state government is consulting legal experts to find out if its appeal in the Supreme Court in the Khairlanji case can ensure capital punishment to the six accused, who had perpetrated the heinous crime. Chief minister Ashok Chavan on Monday held a meeting with Dalit leaders to reiterate the state’s unhappiness over the high court’s decision to award the six accused life sentence instead of capital punishment. The state’s decision to intervene comes in the backdrop of mounting pressure from social groups, who are questioning the role of the Democratic Front government in the Khairlanji case. The case, which was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saw the lower court awarding death sentence to the six accused. But, the high court converted the capital punishment into life sentence. The lone survivor of the Khairlanji killings, Bhaiyalal Bhotmange, had decided to fight the battle single-handed and go in appeal to the Supreme Court. Dalit leaders including ministers from across the state had rallied around him and decided to seek support from the state government. Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) president Prakash Ambedkar said, “The fact that the high court converted the capital punishment to life sentence highlights the shoddy work done by the state government and the CBI. Concrete evidences were deliberately withheld, or not placed before the court.” Dalit leaders had questioned as to why the accused were not booked under the atrocities act and charged with intent to rape even after evidence of the brutal killing of Bhotmange’s daughter and wife was found. At the meeting, Chavan also expressed concern over rising incidents of attack against Dalits and other backward castes across the state. The chief minister indicated that an autonomous body on the lines of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) should be set-up to study and ascertain the reasons behind such incidents. Minister for dairy development Nitin Raut said, “We have to take concrete steps to ensure Khairlanji never happens again. The attack on Dalits can’t go unreported.” According to Congress spokesperson Hussain Dalwai, often the Dalits become soft target because of caste prejudices and patronage from police department. INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to zestmedia-dig...@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to zestcaste-subscr...@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: zestcaste-dig...@yahoogroups.com zestcaste-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: zestcaste-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] DUSU: NSUI reserves seats for woman, SC/STs
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/DUSU--NSUI-reserves-seats-for-woman--SC-STs/663343 DUSU: NSUI reserves seats for woman, SC/STs Deepu Sebastian Edmond Posted: Mon Aug 23 2010, 00:19 hrs Ahead of Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) polls on September 3, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has announced that it will reserve a seat each for an SC/ST and woman candidate.The DUSU elections will see contestants running for president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary. The move is unprecedented, especially since DU students have of late shown a tendency to vote individuals based on their caste and regional identities. “We know it is a risky move. However, someone had to take the initiative against caste politics. We are attempting to democratise the DUSU election,” said NSUI national president Hibi Eden. Also from this year, instead of being nominated, candidates for the four DUSU posts will be chosen by an electoral college of NSUI delegates from various Delhi University institutions. “Nominations are to be filed by aspiring candidates on Sunday. About 400 delegates from various DU colleges will vote for their candidates on Monday,” said NSUI general secretary Mohd Shahnawaz Choudhary, who looks after the Delhi State Unit. The last date for filing nominations for the DUSU elections is August 24. The delegates were chosen last November when the elections to the NSUIs Delhi state unit had taken place. An observer from the J M Lyngdoh-headed Foundation for Advanced Management for Election, which supervises NSUI and Youth Congress elections, will be present during the Monday's election. However, the delegates will elect four individuals without recommending who will run for which office. A committee formed by the NSUI will have the final say on the matter. The current DUSU, with Manoj Choudhary as the president, has girls occupying the three other positions. INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to zestmedia-dig...@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to zestcaste-subscr...@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: zestcaste-dig...@yahoogroups.com zestcaste-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: zestcaste-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] To instil consciousness on Dalit human rights, legal rights
http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/23/stories/2010082358690600.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai To instil consciousness on Dalit human rights, legal rights Staff Reporter Atrocity cases happen when Dalits try to avail themselves of legal resources “History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.” - B.R.Ambedkar MADURAI: It is a well known fact that the consciousness about Constitutional provisions and law enforcement agencies among the Dalits is indeed low and that is one of the reasons which remains as a stumbling block to their emancipation. Moreover, startling evidence reveal that the empowerment of Dalits has always resulted in a concurrent increase in their opposition as well. Atrocity cases happen when Dalits try to avail themselves of legal resources; assert their right over common property resources, their occupation, right to participate in cultural life, their right to vote etc. This being the reality, Dalit Foundation, India and Peoples Watch (NGOs which work among Dalits) have been for so many years organising a National Training Programme on Dalit Human Rights Monitoring. It is one such effort to instil and inculcate the legal as well as human rights aspects among grassroots activists and campaigners of Dalit cause. The ten-day training programme is under way at PILLAR centre in Nagamalai Pudukottai here in Madurai where 56 members from Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka Orissa Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are participating. All the members are basically Dalit activists who are working at a grassroot level in theor respective states and this training programme provides them a chance to become “informed Dalit activists,” said Pandian, Coordinator, Dalit Foundation, India. The members had interactive sessions on Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. However the salient feature of the training programme is going on a fact finding mission to get experienced in a professional way to handle atrocity cases. Sisir, from Orissa, went to Namakkal district to investigate an alleged case of forceful displacement of Dalits where the local panchayat council had decided to socially ostracise a Dalit family which questioned their rights over land. Sisir says, “Cases have been filed under SC/ST POA, 1989 but there has been no progress.” Swaranjali, of Maharashtra, went to Goundanallur village in Erode district to investigate a case of a murder of dalit youth. She found how the victim's mother fearing backlash has restrained herself from even filing a complaint. Indira of Tuticorin district went to Nedungulam in Virudhunagar to investigate an alleged case of caste clash between Dalits and caste Hindus. Using her gained experiences as a trainee she was able to gather information from the police and question them on the sections under which cases have been filed. Murugesan, Jessintha, Esakkimuthu, Jegadeesan (from Tamil Nadu), Prakash (Maharashtra) and Manjula (Karnataka) also shared their experiences of being part of this training programme and how significant is it for the Dalits and Dalit activists to be conscious about the legal aspects. Many activists shared that “Even if they lodge a complaint under the S.C. /S.T. Act, the police ask the caste Hindus to lodge a counter complaint so that a criminal case is filed against the Dalits, too. Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, Peoples Watch, who imparts training to the members, said that the essential aspect of this training is to make ‘human rights defenders out of Dalit activists.' Dalit activists are members who have experienced some sort of discrimination and the protest element is there within them but the effort is to make them think beyond their own experience and to form a pattern where they could think about discrimination from a wider perspective. Documenting This includes documenting the discrimination and human rights violation, handling cases in a professional way, fact finding experiences and recording the statements of victims and perpetrators, which would provide a broader understanding. INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to zestmedia-dig...@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to zestcaste-subscr...@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a
[ZESTCaste] Neutral agency to study atrocities against Dalits
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Neutral-agency-to-study-atrocities-against-Dalits/Article1-590928.aspx Neutral agency to study atrocities against Dalits HT Correspondent Mumbai, August 24, 2010First Published: 01:05 IST(24/8/2010) Following the Dalit ministers’ demand that atrocities against their community be averted, the state government on Monday decided to appoint a neutral agency to recommend measures to check the social evil. In the Cabinet meeting on August 4, Ministers Nitin Raut, Varsha Gaikwad and Ramesh Bagwe (from Congress) and Laxman Dhoble (from the NCP) raised Khairlanji mass murder case. They had demanded the issue be discussed in the Cabinet as the Dalits wanted to know whether the state was serious about their concerns. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan turned down the demand but had held a separate meeting on the issue immediately after the Cabinet meeting. The high court has reduced the death sentences of the six convicts to life. The ministers alleged that the accused got a relief because they were not tried under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Following the court’s verdict, the Dalit community demanded the state to challenge it in the Supreme Court. Taking note of this, Chavan asked the officials to present the state’s side to the Central Bureau of Investigations that has probed the case. “We will also verify if it is possible for the government to plead its case in the Supreme Court,” Chavan said. On Monday, the CM discussed the case with Dairy Development Minister Nitin Raut, who had led the protesting ministers, Republic Party of India’s Ramdas Athwale, advocate general, Ravi Kadam, senior bureaucrats from home, law and judiciary, social welfare department and CBI officers. The state is likely to appoint the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to study atrocities against the Dalits, said a government source. He said a high-power committee would also be appointed to supervise the social issue. “A nodal officer will also be appointed.” INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to zestmedia-dig...@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to zestcaste-subscr...@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: zestcaste-dig...@yahoogroups.com zestcaste-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: zestcaste-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
