NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS is an Advocacy Platform committed for Dalit Human Rights at the Grass root, National and International levels. Dalits In News aims at sensitizing Civil societies, HR Mechanisms and providing updates of HR violations on Dalits for their Intervention.
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS NCDHR Dalits In News December 14, 2006 Dalit groups against CoD inquiry- The Hindu http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Dalits enter temple amid tension - The Hindu http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Dalits enter Jagannath temple in Keradgarh- NDTV http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Dalits+enter+Jagannath+t emple+in+Keradgarh&id=97920&category=National The Hindu Dalit groups against CoD inquiry http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Correspondent Bidar: Dalit organisations have opposed the State Government's decision to order a Corps of Detectives inquiry into the defiling of an Ambedkar statue, the violence that followed and the police atrocities on protesters in the district on December 6. Dalit groups are demanding a judicial probe into the incident. "We blame the Deputy Commissioner Munish Moudgil and the Superintendent of Police Roopa Divakar for the police action against Dalits," they said. We want a judicial probe, Vaijanath Suryavanshi, convenor of the United Forum of Dalit Organizations, said. The forum includes representatives of various Dalit organizations, political parties, student organisations and the Backward and Minorities Communities Employees Federation. The Hindu Dalits enter temple amid tension http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Mohammed Iqbal SULIA (RAJASTHAN): Peaceful entry of hundreds of Dalits into the ancient Chawanda Mata temple here on Tuesday could not hide complicity of the Administration and the police with the dominant Gujjar caste in persecution of Dalit families through insinuations, slapping of false charges and denial of equal rights. Gujjars of the village, situated 260 km from Jaipur, stayed away from the Dalit Adivasi Adhikar Sammelan organised on the temple premises and virtually boycotted the Dalits' entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Policemen were deployed in large numbers in the temple premises. Though the presence of a large number of civil rights activists, including Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy, and media persons from Jaipur gave confidence to the local Dalits to defy restrictions imposed by the Gujjars, tension in the atmosphere was palpable with a question mark raised over the stance of the Gujjars and higher castes on the issue. The insinuation that Dalits were demanding a share in the 26-bigha agricultural land of the temple and offerings made to the deity was a deliberate ploy to shift attention from assertion of rights by Dalits to enter the temple and offer prayers as equal members of the Hindu community. "We do not want a single inch of the land or a single paisa from the offerings. Ours is a struggle for self-respect,'' said Bhanwar Meghwanshi, the young convenor of Dalit Adivasi Adhikar Abhiyan. He pointed out that Gujjar and Dalit priests had been worshipping Goddess Chawanda in the temple as a tradition, which was abruptly stopped for no reason other than hatred for Dalits. The Gujjar priest, Mewa Ram, accompanied by youngsters from his community allegedly thrashed the 80-year-old Dalit priest Hazari Balai during the Navratra festivities on October 1 and declared a ban on the entry of Dalits into the temple. The police registered an FIR after nine days following a great deal of persuasion, but have not arrested any of the 12 accused. The Dalits' zeal to get justice could not be defeated by ploys such as registration of false cases against them alleging attempts to steal the offerings and clothes draped on the idol and violating peace. The Administration then tried to evolve a compromise without giving Dalits the right to enter the sanctum sanctorum. State Rural Development Minister Kalulal Gujjar, who is an MLA from neighbouring Mandal in Bhilwara district, was the target of attack at the public meeting attended by about 2,000 Dalits after entry into the temple. Mr. Gujjar brought members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's Scheduled Caste Morcha from other villages to Sulia on November 26 and "staged a drama'' of taking them inside the temple. NDTV Dalits enter Jagannath temple in Keradgarh http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Dalits+enter+Jagannath+t emple+in+Keradgarh&id=97920&category=National Sampad Mahapatra Thursday, December 14, 2006 (Keradgarh): A small group of Dalits defied an age-old ban to enter the Jagannath Temple in Orissa's Keradagarh village on Thursday. Two platoons of policemen provided security to the group. The move comes after the Orissa High Court ruled that all Hindus, including Dalits, could enter the temple. In November last year, four Dalit girls had been humiliated by upper caste Hindus for entering the temple. The issue snowballed into a major controversy and the matter was finally settled by the Orissa HC. ARUN KHOTE National Media Secretary NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS (NCDHR) Add: 8/1, South Patel Nagar, NEW DELHI- 110008 ( INDIA) Mobile : 91# 9350183802 Ph & Fax- 91#11-25842249, 91#11-25842250 E Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website : www.dalits.org www.ncdhr.org
