Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 16.04.12
Bihar court acquits 23 in caste massacre case - India Today
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-court-acquits-23-in-caste-massacre-case/1/184706.html
Centre to tell states to check crime on dalits - The Times Of India
'It is time social evils like Made Snana were stopped' - The Times Of India
Violence in Osmania University as right wing students groups attack Beef Festival of Dalit students - India Today
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/violence-mars-food-festival-at-osmania-university/1/184612.html
Govt urged to act against untouchability - Deccan Herald
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/242357/govt-urged-act-against-untouchability.html
Clerk held for bias against panchayat president - The Times Of India
India Today
Bihar court acquits 23 in caste massacre case
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-court-acquits-23-in-caste-massacre-case/1/184706.html
Citing lack of evidence, a Bihar court on Monday acquitted three men sentenced to death and 20 given life imprisonment for the 1996 massacre in Bathani Tola in which 21 people, mainly women and children, were killed by members of the upper caste Ranvir Sena.
"The high court acquitted them on the basis of lack of evidence against them in the charge sheet by police," a court official said.
Two years ago, the additional district and sessions judge of Ara civil court had pronounced the sentences against the 23 after they were convicted in the case.
The Bathani Tola village, in Sahar block of Bhojpur district, was targeted by armed members of the Ranvir Sena who butchered 21 people, mostly Dalits and poor Muslims.
A police officer associated with the probe said the charges were framed against 62 members of Ranvir Sena under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
Dalit survivor Kishun Chaudhary had lodged a case against 33 people, following which police filed a chargesheet against 63, including Ranvir Sena chief Barmeshwar Singh who was declared absconder.
Barmeshwar Singh was later arrested and is currently lodged in a jail.
The Times Of India
Centre to tell states to check crime on dalits
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN | Apr 16, 2012, 03.24AM IST
NEW DELHI: The Centre is set to tell states that they are not doing enough to check crimes against dalits at a special meet called by the Union home ministry to underline the statistics that have triggered concern.
Union home minister P Chidambaram will on Tuesday meet state home ministers and social justice ministers to flag rising crimes against SCs and STs. The issue has turned serious because the prosecution system in states remains weak despite stringent demands of the Prevention of Atrocities Act.
Sources said social justice minister Mukul Wasnik and tribal affairs minister Kishore Chandra Deo would make presentations to exhort the states to address the concerns of socially vulnerable groups. The worry is evident from home ministry calling the meeting after requests from Wasnik, though social justice ministry meets state social welfare secretaries annually.
The invite to the home ministers is significant as they are in charge of crime and prosecution while social welfare departments have limited mandate of welfare schemes and policies. Since chief ministers in most states hold the home portfolio, the expectations from the gathering are high.
The statistics with the Centre underline the seriousness of the problem. Ten states led by Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh account for 93% of the crimes against SCs, while MP, Rajasthan, Andhra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha are among the 10 states which alone witness 95% of anti-tribal atrocities.
In contrast, the prosecution machinery is inadequate to deal with the magnitude of the problem. The conviction rate is as low as 32.5% while pendency of cases in 2008-10 stood at 80.6%.
The states have been indifferent in taking the initiatives laid out by the atrocities law to help these vulnerable sections. Only three states have set up 'special police stations' for anti-SC/ST crimes, with Bihar having nine, Chhattisgarh 12 and MP 48. The states have been lax in identifying atrocity-prone areas, a measure suggested by the prevention law to help pre-empt crime against SCs and STs.
Importantly, the atrocities law also provides for periodical review of performance of special public prosecutors and of prosecution of cases. Sources said few states follow up on this provision.
The Times Of India
'It is time social evils like Made Snana were stopped'
TNN | Apr 15, 2012, 01.42PM IST
MYSORE: Mysore district minister S A Ramdas on Saturday said political parties have misused national leader B R Ambedkar's image for the sake of votes, which, he said, should stop. He said dalit associations and activities have the responsibility of making the national leader's message reaching the masses.
Speaking on the occasion of 121st birth anniversary of Ambedkar, he said: "Ambedkar Jayanti should be celebrated in a more meaningful way to fulfill the needs of society."
Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences chairman D Anand said social evils like honour killing and Made Snana still exist. "According to a study, 36% villages do not allow dalits into fair-price shops in India. And 48% of villages do not drink water from a single source. Some section of people in 73% of villages do not allow dalits into their houses, and the latter's entry is prohibited in 65% of temples," he stated.
Earlier, Ramdas, mayor Pushpalatha Chikkanna and other dignitaries garlanded the statue of Ambedkar in front of Town Hall.
If the district administration has its way, experts in civil engineering will look after the construction of Ambedkar Bhavan at the city centre, which will also have a cellar parking lot. But the project could be used for commercial purpose.
Experts at Bangalore-based Torsteel Research Foundation of India have been asked to look after the quality of the Rs 14.5-crore project, Ramdas said on Friday.
Briefing reporters after holding a meeting on the project with elected representatives and dalit leaders, he said the maintenance of the structure is important, which will be ensured by tasking the job to the community. The life history of the national leader will be depicted at the Bhavan, which will sport a heritage look, he added.
There will be parking lot at the cellar to avoid crowding of the city centre. The Bhavan will come up on a plot off D Devaraj Urs Road.
India Today
Violence in Osmania University as right wing students groups attack
Beef Festival of Dalit students
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/violence-mars-food-festival-at-osmania-university/1/184612.html
Violence erupted in the historic Osmania University in Hyderabad on Sunday evening, when student groups representing right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad clashed with the Dalit and minority student groups in protest against the celebration of the first-ever "Beef Festival" in the campus.
The Dalit students were celebrating the "Beef Festival" (Pedda Koora Panduga in Telugu) - cooking and serving of beef in the open - on the OU campus as an expression of their cultural identity and constitutional right.
The students have been opposing the imposition of what they call Brahminical culture on the food habits of SCs, STs and minorities in the educational institutions.
However, the event was strongly resisted by the ABVP students stating that it was against the Indian culture and would hurt the sentiments of the Hindus who treat cow as a holy animal.
The rightwing student groups distributed pamphlets in the last two days asking the students to stay away from the beef festival. They described the festival as a mischief being perpetrated by a few individuals who claim themselves to be Dalit intellectuals and scholars having a political agenda.
Trouble began at around 6.30 pm, when more than 1,000 students assembled at the Ambedkar Hostel, where the Dalit Students Federation made elaborate arrangements for the festival.
Several university professors and non-teaching staff also participated in the festival to express their solidarity with the Dalit students. The festival was supported by Ambedkar Students' Association, Telangana Students' Association and Student Federation of India as well.
As the Dalit students were raising slogans, singing songs and eating biryani made of beef, several ABVP students swooped on the venue and ransacked the area. This resulted in the two groups of students attacking each other and pelting stones. Several students and media persons covering the event received injuries.
The Osmania University police who made elaborate bandobust to prevent any untoward incident rushed to the area and resorted to lathicharge to quell the agitated student groups. As the students continued with stone pelting, the police had to lob teargas shells to disperse the students. The irate mobs also set afire a vehicle belonging to a television channel.
East Zone DCP Y Gangdhar said the situation was under control, but tense. The police would keep a tight vigil on the campus all through the night.
Beef festival organizer B Sudarshan, a research scholar, said it was unfortunate that some upper caste students tried to disrupt the festival which was going on peacefully. "We have not made any slaughter of animals in the hostel premises but only distributed food among the students to acknowledge the age-old custom of Dalits and minorities. We wanted to remove the dirty image associated with beef, as spread by the Brahminical culture," he said.
The Dalit student groups have also been demanding that beef be made part of the regular menu of the Osmania University hostels, as it was the question of self-respect of the Dalits.
However, the ABVP condemned the festival, saying it had only vitiated the campus atmosphere. "We are not against anybody's food habits. We only protested the way the beef festival being made a public event," an ABVP activist commented.
Deccan Herald
Govt urged to act against untouchability
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/242357/govt-urged-act-against-untouchability.html
Kolar, Apr 15, 2012, DHNS:
Members of CPI (M) held a protest in front of Nachiketha Students Hostel, urging the government to act against untouchability and social atrocity, on Saturday.
They demanded that the government should abolish 'Pankhtibedha' (a practice where food is served to brahmins separately in temples in Udupi and other areas), Madesnana and other superstitious beliefs. A committee set up by the State government to look into such atrocities on dalits should look into it, they said.
The protesters also urged the government to hike the compensation amount given to (SC/ST) victims of casteism.
In Gauribidanur
CPI(M) activists urged the Central government to bring a separate legislation to check social atrocity against dalits, madesnana, casteism and provide funds under the SCP project for dalits development. They held a protest in this regard at Ambedkar Circle here on Saturday.
Atrocities on dalits have increased in the State after the BJP came to power. As many as 1632 atrocity cases on dalits have been registered. But the State government is burying the cases without conducting an inquiry into it.
The party district unit general secretary Siddalingappa said over 250 temples under the Muzrai Department in the State practice madesnana, 'phanktibheda' among others. Such practices should be banned, they demanded.
They further urged the government to provide lands to landless dalits and fill-up backlog posts.
The Times Of India
Clerk held for bias against panchayat president
TNN | Apr 16, 2012, 04.17AM IST
MADURAI: The district police on Saturday arrested the panchayat clerk of Kadaneri panchayat under Prevention of Atrocities Against SC/ST Act.
The action comes in the wake of reports of alleged discrimination, published in the media based on a study done by Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO. The study revealed that many dalit panchayat presidents were discriminated by non-dalit vice-presidents and panchayat staff. The study also reported one such incident from Kadaneri panchayat in Peraiyur taluk of the district. Madurai SP, Asra Garg ordered immediate inquiry into the Kadaneri incident.
Based on the inquiry, R Suresh (30) from Mela Kadaneri, panchayat clerk was arrested for discriminating the panchayat president K Perumal on caste grounds. Suresh had also verbally abused by calling his caste name. Garg said that investigation found that the dalit panchayat president, Perumal had to stand and run all the panchayat meetings. He was kept as mere signing authority and the panchayat clerk was found to be the person behind the discrimination.
"Any form of discrimination in any part of the district will be dealt with stringent action," Garg warned.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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