NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS
NCDHR Dalits In News Tuesday, July 11, 2006 The Hindu- Rajasthan Protection demanded for Dalit families pecial Correspondent Violent attack on their houses which left many injured in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan JAIPUR: The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) on Sunday demanded protection to Dalit families of Bhagwanpura village in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan in the aftermath of a violent attack on their houses in the night of July 2. Several Dalits were injured and their houses ransacked allegedly in the presence of police. A three-member fact-finding team of NCDHR, which visited Bhagwanpura over the weekend, noticed an atmosphere of fear and panic among Dalits in the village in the midst of their social boycott by the people of higher castes. Police have not registered any criminal case in connection with the incident and launched the probe on the basis of a previous FIR. Trouble started on July 2 when two Dalit children, visiting the village to attend a function in the family of relatives, purchased ice-cream in saucers at a shop. When the shopkeeper learned about the children's caste, he snatched saucers from them and thrashed them. Later, the elders of Dalit family apologised on behalf of children for breaking the "caste norms''. As the news about the children belonging to Valmiki (sweeper) caste eating ice-cream in the saucers of an upper caste shopkeeper spread in the village, influential people gathered in Charbhuja temple and decided to "teach a lesson'' to Dalits. Meanwhile, Dalits -- sensing trouble -- lodged a complaint at Mandal police station and sought protection to their houses. NCDHR State secretary Satish Kumar said a huge crowd of higher caste people attacked Dalits' houses in the night, even though a police force from Mandal had already been deployed in the locality. Policemen allegedly remained mute spectators when arsonists ransacked houses for three hours, beat Dalits, pillaged household goods and insulted women. The injuries of one of the victims were described as "normal'' by the doctor at the local Government hospital despite fractures in his arm. The NCDHR has demanded initiation of criminal proceedings under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the doctor and in-charge of Mandal police station for dereliction of duty. The NCDHR has recommended addition of Sections 392 (robbery) and 444 (lurking house-trespass by night) of I.P.C. to the FIR registered on Dalits' complaint on July 2 evening and establishment of a temporary police post near the Dalit locality in Bhagwanpura. http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/10/stories/2006071008870500.htm Frontline Suffering in silence S. Viswanathan `ARUNTHATHIYARS' constitute one of the three major social groups among Dalits in Tamil Nadu, the other two being `Paraiyar' and `Pallar'. Although Arunthathiyars are present in almost all districts, their concentration is relatively high in the western districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Namakkal. Brought into the State five centuries ago mainly as warriors by the Nayaks from the Vijayanagar empire, a substantial number of Arunthathiyar, who speak either Telugu or Kannada, work as menial servants or as sanitary workers employed by local bodies. Most others in the community are agricultural workers. Just like the other sections of Dalits, they are segregated and required to do odd jobs such as burying dead cattle and digging graves. Worse, Arunthathiyars, particularly women, have been compelled for centuries to do the humiliating job of removing human excreta and cleaning dry latrines, which still exist in large numbers despite a ban. Like many other laws relating to Dalits, the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, remains on paper. Arunthathiyars often complain of ill-treatment by not only caste Hindus, but also other sections of Dalits. Arunthathiyars are thus, apparently, the worst victims of untouchability. Even in areas where they are said to be better off (such as western Tamil Nadu), Arunthathiyars silently suffer untouchability in its myriad forms - for instance, denial of access to common water sources, public roads and temples, shops and schools. Seldom do they protest their humiliation. Even the Dalit assertion in the 1990s after the birth centenary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar apparently made little impact on their situation. Bezwada Wilson of Andhra Pradesh, who led a spirited campaign for a Central government ban on manual scavenging, said: "The pity is also that we safai karamcharis [manual scavengers] did not accept Babasaheb Ambedkar as our leader when he thundered that this occupation should not be glorified [as Gandhi did] but banned with immediate effect. Divided within ourselves, we did not use the momentum of the rest of the Dalit movements to further our cause." Many Pallars in southern Tamil Nadu and Parayars in the northern districts have become aware of their rights and privileges, thanks to their access to education. However, Arunthathiyars remain backward in every respect. Only in recent times have there been attempts by Dalit activists to organise them. The first major protest by Arunthathiyars was their boycott of elections to the Lok Sabha in 2002 at Kalapatti village in Coimbatore district in protest against the government's failure to concede their long-pending demands, including permission to enter the temple. Neither the caste Hindu elders nor the leaders of the political parties, including those of the Sangh Parivar who had often used Arunthathiyars as cannon fodder supports them in their struggle. In fact, violence was let loose on the protesting Arunthathiyars by a 200-strong mob. More than 100 of their houses were ransacked and their belongings damaged. Many huts were burnt down. Nearly 15 persons were seriously injured in the attack. The assailants also destroyed university certificates of many Arunthathiyar youth. The police assistance came late, though a police station was less than 7 km away from the trouble spot (Frontline, July 20, 2004). http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20060714004904100.htm chennaionline.com-TN PT seeks clarification on land allocation Madurai, July 11: Puthiya Tamizhagam leader K Krishnaswamy today asked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to clarify as to how the government was going to distribute two acres of land for the landless, as assured by the DMK during the elections. Talking to reporters here, he said the government had once claimed that it had fifty lakh acres of wasteland and now it was claiming it had only five lakh acres. "How is the government going to distribute two acres each with only five lakh acres in hand?" he asked. The government should make it clear whether it would purchase private land and give it to the poor, he said. He alleged that north Indians and Keralites had purchased thousands of acres of lands, mostly dry lands, in Tamil Nadu to convert black money into white. The British government had allocated three lakh acres of 'panchami' land for the SCs and other backward class people. But only 10 per cent of these lands are now with the Dalits. The government should find out who is holding the remaining land and get it back from them. The DMK government had given 2.5 acres of agricultural land and 15 cents of house sites for the 20 Dalit families at Siruthavur in 1967. The land was under cultivation from 1967 to 1991. After 1992, the occupants had vacated and the land remained fallow. The Ambedkar statue at the site was shifted in 2001 and the pattas were transferred. Krishnaswamy alleged that these 53 acres of land were owned by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's close friend Sasikala. The lands were allocated on the condition that they should not be sold. The government should find out in whose name the ownership has been transferred, he demanded. Krishnaswamy said he would meet the Chief Minister and the Governor in connection with the land. (Agencies) http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B1E48333E-9CFE-47 D3-9E29-4F37A904B787%7D <http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B1E48333E-9CFE-4 7D3-9E29-4F37A904B787%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu> &CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu Monsterand critic.com- Bihar Dalit village head in Bihar was allegedly abused, humiliated and thrashed Patna, July 10 (IANS) A Dalit village body head in Bihar was allegedly abused, humiliated and thrashed by upper caste men because he dared to sit on a chair to preside over a meet. Sughar Ram, in his early sixties, was manhandled and abused at Haswadih village by upper caste men for having the audacity to sit on a chair in their presence to preside over a meeting and seeking authorities' help in including the names of poorest in the list of below poverty line (BPL) beneficiaries. 'This incident took place last week, but the police are yet to lodge a complaint despite repeated pleas by Ram,' a villager said. Ram, a retired schoolteacher, was elected village body head of the Akaruan panchayat in Bhojpur district last month. The district is a stronghold of the banned Ranvir Sena, a private militia of the upper caste and the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist. According to a report in a local daily here, Ram was abused and humiliated when he was presiding over the meeting that was convened to crosscheck the list of BPL beneficiaries. 'Saala Dusadh ho kar kursi par baithega? Tumhara shaan hum log mita denge (How dare you sit on a chair being a Dusadh? We will damage your dignity),' the report quoted the upper caste men as saying to Ram. Relatives of Ram have charged the police with refusing to lodge a formal complaint. 'Police apathy was evident as the officer-in-charge of the Piro police station refused to lodge a complaint. After that he (Ram) went to the police station again and submitted his complaint, but the police again denied to do so,' said a relative of Ram. http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1179578.php/Dalit_leader_ab used_for_daring_to_sit_on_a_chair ARUN KHOTE Secretary-Media National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights-NCDHR 8/1,2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar NEW DELHI-110008 ( INDIA) Ph/ Fax-91#11-25842249/ 25842250 Mobile:0-9350183802 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: dalits.org «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥««¤»¥«¤»§«¤» This is ZESTCaste whose members watch India's painful journey to society's de-casteisation. 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