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 February 16, 2007 Dalit girl raped and murdered in Bihar- The Hindustan Times <http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1928679,000600030006.htm> http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1928679,000600030006.htm Dalits take Gandhi's path of protest- CNN IBN http://www.ibnlive.com/news/dalits-take-on-gandhis-silent-protest/33701-3.ht ml Adi Dravidar hostel boys forced to graze cattle- New Indpress <http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070214124043&Title=Souther n+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&rLink=0> http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070214124043&Title=Southern +News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&rLink=0 Dalit women plan united fight for rights- The Hindu http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/15/stories/2007021510900400.htm The Hindustan Times Dalit girl raped and murdered in Bihar <http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1928679,000600030006.htm> http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1928679,000600030006.htm Indo-Asian News Service Patna, February 15, 2007 A Dalit schoolgirl was gang-raped and murdered in a Bihar village, police in Patna said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday in Kaurandihri tola in Bhojpur district, 60 km from Patna. Police said the girl was gangraped and her throat slit. A police complaint has been lodged against five people of same village on the basis of her other's statement. CNN IBN Dalits take Gandhi's path of protest <http://www.ibnlive.com/news/dalits-take-on-gandhis-silent-protest/33701-3.h tml> http://www.ibnlive.com/news/dalits-take-on-gandhis-silent-protest/33701-3.ht ml Urvashi Gulia Dahola village, Jind (Haryana): In real life, such a protest seems unimaginable. But 20 Dalit families have done just that. It's not only fear that is keeping them away from home, it's a question of dignity and the fact that they can no longer take the humiliation from the upper castes. Eighty-five-year-old Mor Singh is seriously ill. His last wish is to be back home. But he knows he cannot simply give up. "They have taken away our. But they will kill us if we go back there," said Singh. They spent the entire winter out in the cold. Their children have not been able to go to school. Three meals a day is a luxury, but they refuse to go back home. Home for these families, is Dahola, a village 30 kilometers from Jind. The cause of the problem is a 350 sqare yard plot. Two subcasts of Jaats had laid claim to the land back in 1957. The dispute went to court and the Kaith Patti Jaats won. In 1985, they donated the land to the Dalits, for building a Ravidass temple here. But this didn't go well with the other Jaat subcaste, the Lahori Patti Jaats. They tried to stall attempts by Dalits to build a temple in 1995 and eventually went to court to strengthen their case. "We didn't know about the court case. They just went and filed a case on their own," said a panchyat member, Zile Singh. The temple construction was suspended and things were relatively calm, until the Lahori Jaats started encroaching on this land. They started extending their houses on to this plot and elbowed in on the lane, which was handed over to the Dalits through an SDM order, to tie their cattle. Dalits weren't allowed to use the common tap nearby and had to face cast abuse and threats. The two communities finally came to blows. A day before Diwali in 2006, the entire colony of Harijans started a protest outside the District Commissioner's (DC) house. After 35 days, a case was slapped on them and they were pushed to the ground across the road. "They can go back anytime. Adequate police has been provided for their protection," said DC, Jind, Yudhvir Singh. Almost four months since the Dalits left, the village is still sharply divided over the issue. The Dalits, meanwhile, carry on living the life of refugees. But their locked houses are testimony to a sad reality. Cast bias and infighting for community pride exist to the extent to forcing over 80 people out of their homes even in this day and age. The Harijans want a permanent solution and there isn't one in close sight. Will they ever be able to return home? New Indpress Adi Dravidar hostel boys forced to graze cattle <http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070214124043&Title=Souther n+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&rLink=0> http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070214124043&Title=Southern +News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&rLink=0 Thursday February 15 2007 00:00 IST KANCHEEPURAM: Three inmates of the Adi Dravidar Welfare Hostel here have alleged that they were being forced to do odd jobs by the warden. Dilly Babu (13), Rajesh (12) and Muniyandi (14), all inmates of the Adi Dravidar Welfare Hostel at Walajabad, in their complaint to District Collector Pradeep Yadav on Monday, alleged that they were being forced to graze the cattle owned by warden Rathinam. The boys, studying in classes six, seven and eight at the Aringar Anna Government Boys Higher Secondary School, also complained that they were being ordered to do odd jobs in the hostel. They also said that food was not being served in the hostel regularly and they were harrassed when they refused to obey the orders. Following this, the district administration ordered an inquiry into the matter through the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department. Social Action Movement (SAM), an NGO surveying the condition of Adi Dravidar Welfare Hostels in the State, is also investigating the matter. An investigation by this website's newspaper revealed that the inmates of the hostel were indeed suffering in silence. S Ramamoorthy, headmaster of the Aringar Anna Government Boys Higher Secondary School, said that he came to know that the boys were grazing cattle owned by hostel warden Rathinam, when he questioned their prolonged absence to school. Showing the attendance register, he pointed out that the students had not attended classes for more than three months. ''Some of the students studying in nearby schools and staying in the same hostel had also not attended classes regularly. A cross-verification of the attendance register of those schools proved this. It is learnt that those students had also been forced to graze cattle,'' Ramamoorthy said. ''A week ago, 40 students staying in the hostel did not come to school. When asked, they said that they were not given breakfast,'' he added. T Raj, coordinator, SAM, said enquiries by the organisation revealed that the warden rarely came to the hostel and in his absence, the cook acted as the warden. Grocery items and cooking gas cylinders often ran short and food was not served regularly. The three boys told this website's newspaper that whenever the cooking gas got exhausted they would be asked to cut firewood. If they did not do so, they would be beaten up. While it is alleged that some local politicians had tried to prevent the boys from approaching the Collector, Uthiramerur DMK MLA Sundar claimed that it was he who took the boys to the Collector. Assistant Director of the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department D Saraswathy said that the investigation was partially over. The students, parents and the warden had been questioned. The warden had claimed that the boys were not on the hostel rolls, but were accommodated unofficially on humanitarian grounds since they had approached him after the admissions were over. Further investigations revealed that the warden had sent away Muniyandi from the hostel. The other two boys said that their parents had paid extra money to be accommodated in the hostel unofficially. ''We are yet to check the hostel records to see if the students were officially admitted or not,'' Saraswathy said. Meanwhile, sources said that warden Rathinam had threatened the students to deny the charges against him before the Collector. The Hindu Dalit women plan united fight for rights <http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/15/stories/2007021510900400.htm> http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/15/stories/2007021510900400.htm Special Correspondent Dalit Sthree Sakthi urges State to initiate measures to end alleged exploitation of women HYDERABAD: Dalit women from Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari, Ranga Reddy, Kadapa and Visakhapatnam districts converged here under the banner of `Dalit Sthree Sakthi'(DSS) to fight atrocities committed against them. DSS convenor Jhansi Geddam chaired their first annual general body meeting here on Wednesday. The two-day meeting will adopt a declaration seeking steps by the administration to end the alleged exploitation of Dalit women at their work places. It would also seek an end to atrocities, including trafficking, rape and attacks by high castes. Agenda The DSS would strive for freedom, equality and self-respect of Dalit women, Ms. Jhansi declared amidst loud cheers by the gathering. Vasantha Kannabiran, president of Asmitha, Vijayabharati, a retired principal and wife of State Republican Party president B. Tharakam, Paul Diwakar, convener, National Council for Dalit Human Rights and Vimal Thorat, convener, All-India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch , called upon Dalit women to strive unitedly under the DSS banner to secure their rights which were being denied even after five decades of independence. Mary Ravindranath, chairperson, State Women's Commission, said 80 per cent of the complaints received by the organisation pertained to Dalit women who were exploited because of their poverty. They had to lead a struggled existence and work mostly because of inadequate family support. She expressed distress at the rampant trafficking of Dalit women in the coastal districts. Only a sustained and united drive by organisations like DSS would help put an end to crimes against them. She outlined steps being taken by the Commission to redress grievances of the complainants. 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
