Friday, April 1, 2011

Re: [ZESTCaste] Dalit Socialists Via Dalit Capitalists: A Response To Anand Teltumbde

 

Dalit Socialists Via Dalit Capitalists: A Response To Anand Teltumbde 
Marxism is Refuge For Brahmins  By- Nagesh Chaudhary  
The debate on Dalit capitalism is being discussed by some well known Dalit
writers and activists. My observation is - as long as caste system,
untouchability is alive in India Dalits cannot become capitalists. Even OBC
capitalists are Shudras and they (Shudras)  cannot succeed unless they serve the
upper castes or Brahmins. Mr. Teltumde is in the company of upper caste
Marxists. Marxism is the refuge of Brahmins in India. My observation is, as you
climb the caste model you find increasing number of Marxists. In Maharashtra for
example, you will find Dalits as supporters in Toto of  Jotirao Fule and his
Satyashodhak movement. Acceptance to his ideology decreases as you go upward in
the caste hierarchy. Dalits, OBC follow Fule but Marathas do it with
reservations. For example Sharad Patil, a Maratha and one time card holder of
CPI(M), does not accept Fule completely. He supplements Fule with Marx. Baba
Adhao, a socialist Maratha accepts Fule attaching Progressive word to Fule's
Satyashodhak movement. He runs 'Purogami Satyashohak' magazine in Marathi.
Sharad Patil edited for some years the Marathi monthly 'Styashodhak Marxwadi'.
(Satyashodhak movement was launched by Fule and his confidents in 1873 which was
against Brahman domination.)
 When you come up in the caste ladder- to Brahmins, they do not consider Fule at
all. Brahmins consider accepting Fule or Ambedkar with Marx as inferior ideology
or contamination of Marx. They considered them as stooges of British imperialism
and that was and is the view of RSS Brahmins, too.

As Marxism is an ideology for classless society and does not touch upon the
caste system. It is helpful to maintain the caste hierarchy and also talk of
classless society. Brahmins feel safe in Marxism as it does not touch caste
system. Dr. B R Ambedkar's observation, -'priestly Brahmins and secular Brahmins
are arms the same body and if one is injured other comes to its rescue.'
Upper caste capitalists in India are under the Brahmanic governing class. So, no
capitalists can oppose Brahmins; on the contrary they respect Brahmanism. If
Dalits want to become capitalists they will have to fore go the ideology of
annihilation of Caste. Why Jain  capitalists started adoring Brahmanism is for
this. Become capitalists but under our cultural control. (Jainism was one time
against Hinduism but now subscribes to it  completely.) So the idea of Dalit
capitalism can not be a reality in the present system which is Brahmin dominated
or when as said by Dr. Ambedkar that in India 'governing class consists of
Brahmins and Banias' The process of becoming governing class or changing the
present system to that of casteless system is the precondition. Only when Dalits
will win the war against caste system then only they will be able to become
capitalists. Capitalism with castes is contradictory. No crusader against caste
has thought of capitalism because it supports class division and class division
will not entirely abolish caste.

----- Original Message ----
From: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
To: zestcaste <zestcaste@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, 9 March, 2011 1:31:05 PM
Subject: [ZESTCaste] Dalit Socialists Via Dalit Capitalists: A Response To Anand
Teltumbde

http://www.countercurrents.org/karthick080311.htm

Dalit Socialists Via Dalit Capitalists: A Response To Anand Teltumbde

By Karthick RM

08 March, 2011
Countercurrents.org

This article is intended as a response to Anand Teltumbde Dalit
Capitalism And Pseudo Dalitism on Countercurrents dated 7th March,
2011

Fanon writes in The Wretched of the Earth that in colonies, a person
is rich because he is white and he is white because he is rich. Simply
put, the superstructure is the base. Stretching this analysis to
India, one can argue that a Dalit is poor because she is untouchable
and she is untouchable because she is poor. In a society like ours
where hierarchy receives ritual sanction and operates via the medium
of not only religion, but also language, social customs, morality and
of course, the state, social capital determines economic capital. Nay,
social capital is economic capital. If one has a glance at the top 50
'dollar billionaires' in India one finds that there are 2-3 OBC's in
the list. No Dalits at all. Most of the rest are brahmins or baniyas.
Is this capitalism in the classical sense?

Of course as Mr. Teltumbde says "capital does not have race, religion,
caste, creed or even country." But the capitalist has. What is capital
without the capitalist? What struggle against capitalism can be
successful unless it is directed against the face, all too human face,
that embodies it? If we were to purely study the structure of capital
subtracting the human agency that drives it one would just drive down
an Althusserian blind alley. No. Capitalism has a human face and it is
shaped by the thoughts, opinions and prejudices of the actor. In
India, the face of the capitalist is the face of his caste.

Since Mr. Teltumbde is an avowed Marxist, I presume that he believes
that socialism follows/should follow capitalism. Presuming that he is
a Leninist, I believe that he would agree that the working class
requires its organic intellectuals both in and out of a revolutionary
party. In the history of Marxist intellectuals, very rarely have there
been any who have actually emerged from an authentic proletarian
background. They were bourgeois or petty-bourgeois who gave themselves
up intellectually to the cause of the working class. India will be no
exception to this. Where India will be an exception is that the caste
of the intellectual will matter as much as, probably more than, his
class. Here I would ask Mr. Teltumbde to look at various Marxist
intellectuals in the country and their caste-class background. One
does find a alarmingly high percentage of upper-caste adherents to a
philosophy that intends to break all hierarchies. This not at all to
doubt the intentions of the political actors concerned. Of course,
various Maoist party intellectuals like Anuradha and Kobad Ghandy have
taken genuine efforts to deal with caste. Yet, the question is why so
many of them to analyse an experience that they can never feel? Can't
the subaltern think?

A partial answer lies here. We are dealing with a class of
intellectuals that have had a middle class and bourgeois background to
which the social capital of caste did contribute. Being literate
sections for generations (rarely performing the gruelling tasks of
manual labour), they have had access to a decent standard of education
both at schools and more importantly, at home, besides day to day
interaction in a more sophisticated intellectual culture. The texts of
Marxism are not far from the reach of those that can read a text. Only
the intention is required and the resources are given. But the void of
Dalit and backward caste intellectuals in Marxism is precisely due to
the fact that the social conditions around their caste rarely provide
them the cultural and economic resources for them to first get a
decent education and concurrently engage with and absorb a philosophy
that changes them into conscious actors. Crudely put, the lack of a
sizeable petit-bourgeois and bourgeois class of Dalits reflects on
their minimal representation in Marxist circles.

Which is why Dalit Capitalism needs to be welcomed albeit partially.
It does have its flaws in that the involved actors do consider it as
the final stage of Dalit liberation, which is, of course, an act of
bad faith. But there is always the possibility of positive effects on
members the community, let us say, the children of the Dalit
capitalist, relatives or friends who might become beneficiaries out of
a sense of caste solidarity of the Dalit capitalist. More Dalits get
access to education and a different culture that they were previously
denied. From here on, it is a matter of choice on what politics they
seek to enter. But when they do enter, they enter not as objects, but
as knowing subjects adding their experiences, their knowledge, their
visions to a theoretical framework. One cannot expect that all might
make the right choice, that is, the left choice. But the opportunity
should be given to them to choose their political and intellectual
destinies.

In Philosophy of Hinduism, Ambedkar writes that genuine liberty must
be accompanied by three factors (I) Social equality (II) Economic
security (III) Universal knowledge. We know that none of these are
available in India for the Dalits. We can argue that economic
security, even if it is for a miniscule number of Dalit capitalists,
can and will open up possibilities for knowledge accumulation for a
greater number, which consequently open up newer avenues for Dalit
actors in movements for social equality. Caste is not just a social
category. It is an experience. Unless you have representation from all
caste groups to articulate those experiences in theory and execute
them in revolutionary praxis what one would actually end with, I fear,
is a group of upper castes performing the revolution, their
revolution, in the name of the backward castes and the Dalits. The
point is this: Dalit capitalism needn't be glorified the way its
protagonists have for it is not an end in itself. Yet, it needn't be
denounced the way Mr. Teltumbde does.

Karthick RM is a student-activist based in JNU, pursuing Masters in
History. He is associated with the Delhi Tamil Students Union, a
Periyarite-Marxist group.

------------------------------------

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Re: [ZESTCaste] Panchayats adopt resolutions against honour killing

 

what is the path to follow:
- ban the khap or its equivalent panchayats
- engage with them
- regulate them through legsilation, i would like to see more dalits, women, minorities, labourers in it- so that they make majority
- are all their decisions totally unwise? or is it a mixed bag. any leads on research in this area?

Ranjani
 

--- On Thu, 31/3/11, Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
Subject: [ZESTCaste] Panchayats adopt resolutions against honour killing
To: "zestcaste" <zestcaste@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Thursday, 31 March, 2011, 2:34 PM

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Panchayats-adopt-resolutions-against-honour-killing/articleshow/7830912.cms

Panchayats adopt resolutions against honour killing
Balwant Garg, TNN | Mar 31, 2011, 05.47am IST

BATHINDA: At a time when khap panchayats of Haryana and western Uttar
Pradesh are under "attack" for openly issuing "death sentences" to
couples who defy caste diktats on love marriages, the panchayats in
Punjab are passing resolutions to decry the 'honour killing'.

The support of panchayats, which is diametrically opposite to their
earlier known stance, against honour killings has come after the
suggestion of Punjab and Haryana high court, said Parampal Kaur,
District Development and Panchayat Officer, Bathinda.

The panchayats' resolutions, submitted to the state rural development
and panchayat department, state: "Panchayat would oppose tooth and
nail any attempt of such honour killing or public ostracism of couples
who marry against the wishes of their family members". The panchayats
started passing these resolutions on the directions of rural
development and panchayat department, Punjab.

Earlier, in August last year, the state government had issued
directions to all district police chiefs in the state to constitute
five-member district-level counselling cells to give assistance to the
"love birds" in marriage or those planning marriage. The cells were to
impart guidance to their parents in resolving any sort of differences
due to caste, creed and social status barriers.

Murders in the name of "honour" do not happen only in "uncivilized"
hinterlands, but often enough even in elite sections of cities. In
most cases, counselling of parents and lovers helps defuse the
tension, added Vishav Jyoti Dhir, a short-story writer who is also
member of District Honour Killing Counselling Cell in Faridkot.

The high court's suggestion to the state government had come after it
decided a civil writ petition "Asha versus State of Haryana".

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[ZESTCaste] DMK eyes dalit votes with freebies

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/DMK-eyes-dalit-votes-with-freebies/articleshow/7839290.cms

DMK eyes dalit votes with freebies
TNN | Apr 1, 2011, 12.52am IST
CHENNAI: Ramayi, a dalit daily wage earner of Thandarai village in
Cheyyur assembly constituency in Kanchipuram, is excited that her
ramshackle hut will soon become a brick-and-cement house. The
government has promised Rs 75,000 worth of construction materials to
her, and she has a certificate to prove it. Ramayi is thankful for the
Re 1 rice scheme, too, and soon hopes to own land. "We dalits have
never owned any land in our lives; it's always been the Vanniars who
have had the right. That will all change," she says.

Through its welfare shemes, the DMK front has made a determined pitch
for dalit votes, and hopes to win a significant majority of the 44
constituencies reserved for SCs in the state. The party is contesting
24 of the reserved constituencies, and sharing the rest with VCK (8),
Congress (10) and PMK (2). Karunanidhi himself is contesting from
Tiruvarur, which was a reserved constituency until recently and has a
Dalit population of over 30%.

Needhirajan, convenor of Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front,
however, says that many of the promises are just propaganda and the
benefits haven't really reached Dalits. "Little or no land has been
given to dalits by the DMK government, as promised under the panchami
land scheme," says Needhirajan.

In the 2010-2011 budget, the DMK government allocated Rs 3,800 crores
(19%) of total state expenditure for SC/ST schemes - equivalent to the
share of the SC population in the state. But critics say this is just
an accounting ruse, as the figure includes money spent in general
schemes.

But Tamil Nadu Dalits were not always known for voting on issues.
They, as fans of a heroic MGR in movies, were once considered a
reliable votebank of AIADMK.

Old loyalties still survive to some extent. Yazhan Aathi, a school
teacher in Ambur, recalls that worshipping heroes - especially from
movies - is still common among Dalits, and has helped Vijayakanth get
dalit support. But Aathi says that dalits haven't been given
responsibilities in the DMDK organization. "Dalits are no more
satisfied with just token representation," he says.

Seeking economic and social progress, Dalits had started looking
beyond traditional parties in the late 1990s. At that time, many Tamil
Nadu villages turned into battle grounds of caste conflict as young
and educated dalits started confronting upper castes. Pallars,
concentrated in the southern districts, such as Namakkal,
Rajayapalayam, Madurai and Sivaganga, tangled with the Thevars, while
Paraiyars had conflicts with Vanniars in the northern districts, such
as Vellore, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram and Chennai.

Leveraging the conflicts, Krishnaswamy emerged as a leader of the
pallars, and Thirumavalavan became a leader of the paraiyars. Pallars
are mostly small farmers or landless labourers, while Paraiyars are
mostly daily wage earners.

Arundhatiyars, the third dalit caste in the state that accounts for 3%
of the state population, are the most marginalized even among the
Dalits. Living in western Tamil Nadu, such as in Coimbatore and
Dharmapuri, Arundhatiyars are oppressed by Kongu Vellalars, says TSS
Mani, an observer of Dalit politics. "They are upset that the DMK
front includes Kongu Vellalar Party," says Mani.

The two main dalit forces that have emerged in the state are now in
alliance with parties representing their principal adversaries. The
dalit VCK is now in the same boat as the vanniar PMK in the DMK front,
and Krishnaswamy's Pudhiya Thamizhagam has been bargaining for seats
with the AIADMK -- once seen as representing thevars. Activists defend
these alliances and say they would help dalits make progress without
conflicts. "The PMK-VCK alliance will promote social harmoney," says
Vanni Arasu, a VCK leader.

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[ZESTCaste] KPMS to help those supporting dalit cause

 

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/kpms-to-help-those-supporting-dalit-cause/261603.html

KPMS to help those supporting dalit cause

Express News Service
First Published : 01 Apr 2011 03:50:08 AM IST
Last Updated : 01 Apr 2011 11:37:42 AM IST

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The official faction of the Kerala Pulaya Mahasabha
(KPMS) has decided to help those who have extended support to the
organisation in the Assembly polls.

KPMS president T V Babu told reporters here on Thursday that the state
committee of the organisation had decided to extend support to
candidates who would assure support to their cause.

The faction led by Babu had taken control of the organisation after
expelling the then general secretary Punnala Sreekumar alleging
pro-UDF stand.

He said that both the fronts had neglected the issues related to the
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The manifestos of both the
fronts are silent on the issues related to these sections, he said.

KPMS will continue its struggle for basic facilities for the dalit
communities, including land, education, job and shelter.

They will support individuals and organisations which will work for
these causes.

Political parties are neglecting the issues of dalit communities to
safeguard the interests of organised communities with social, economic
and educational powers, he said.

He said that the organisation would oppose any move to scuttle the
secular fabric of the society.

KPMS general secretary N K Neelakandan Master, treasurer Cheruvakkal
Ashokan and organisational secretary Thuravoor Suresh attended the
news conference.

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[ZESTCaste] DMK MP arrested for assaulting Dalit granted bail

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dmk-mp-arrested-for-assaulting-dalit-granted-bail/147575-37.html

DMK MP arrested for assaulting Dalit granted bail
Press Trust Of India
Posted on Mar 30, 2011 at 05:42pm IST

Ramanathapuram: DMK MP J K Ritheesh, who was arrested for allegedly
assaulting a Dalit and others during a clash at Kalavankudi near
Sholandur in the district, was granted conditional bail today by the
District and Sessions court. Judge Balasundaram asked the
Ramanathapuram MP, who was arrested along with five others on Monday,
to stay in Madurai and sign at the Tallakulam police station daily. He
has also been instructed not to enter Ramanathapuram district.

Ten persons were injured and one seriously injured in the clash that
broke out between Ritheesh's supporters and local people when
Panchayat officials were making arrangements to lay a road at
Kavalankudi. The villagers opposed it stating that the work, a long
pending demand, had been taken up only because of the April 13
assembly elections.

Meanwhile, former AIADMK minister V T Natararajan joined the public
and questioned the officials about the timing of the work and alleged
it was initiated only because of the elections, leading to the clash,
police said.

DMK MP arrested for assaulting Dalit granted bail

Ritheesh, who arrived the scene with his supporters, allegedly
attacked Narayanan,a local resident and other AIADMK men with stones
and sticks, police said. Police had registered cases against Ritheesh
under various sections of the IPC including criminal intimidation,
committing atrocities against SC/ST people and using obscene words in
a public place.

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[ZESTCaste] SC quashes proceedings under SC,ST Act against principal

 

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5093947

01/04/2011
SC quashes proceedings under SC,ST Act against principal

New Delhi, Mar 31(PTI) Observing that court proceedings should not
degenerate into weapons of harassment, the Supreme Court has quashed a
case registered under the SC,ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against
a woman school principal.
A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma found fault with
the Andhra Pradesh High Court for failing to quash the case registered
against Asmathunnisa, principal of a private school in Hyderabad''s
posh Jubilee Hills area.
"The High Courts have been invested with inherent powers, both in
civil and criminal matters, to achieve a salutary public purpose.
"A court proceeding ought not to be permitted to degenerate into a
weapon of harassment or persecution. Ends of justice are higher than
the ends of mere law though justice must be administered according to
laws made by the legislature," Justice Bhandari, writing the
judgement, said.
The apex court, also interpreting the provisions of the Act, upheld
the contention of the principal that the alleged offence can be made
out only if if the complainant was abused in "public view" in front of
witnesses.
Asmathunnisa had accompanied her husband Mohd Samiuddin to the house
of the complainant Sreedevi, a Dalit woman, where an altercation broke
out.
It was alleged by Sreedevi that Samiuddin enquired about her husband
and on being told that he was not at home abused him by caste.

On the basis of her complaint, a case was registered against the
couple with the Jubilee Hills Police station on February 9, 2006.
(more) PTI RB

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[ZESTCaste] Uttar Pradesh: Dalits face ire of Mayawati's policemen

 

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/134018/latest-headlines/uttar-pradesh-dalits-face-ire-of-mayawatis-policemen.html

Uttar Pradesh: Dalits face ire of Mayawati's policemen
Piyush Srivastava | Lucknow, April 1, 2011 | Updated 13:46 IST

Mayawati and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) rode on Dalit power to
storm the 2007 elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, a year before the
state goes to polls, Dalits seem to be at the receiving end.

In a recent incident, a Dalit village came under attack from
policemen, and a pregnant woman, who was severely beaten up, suffered
a miscarriage.

All this was because of 'mistaken identity'! On Wednesday night, about
three dozen policemen armed with rifles and batons swooped on
Kunwarpur village under Jafirnagar police station in Badaun district
of Uttar Pradesh.

They first entered the house of Morshree Valmiki and started beating
her up. When her daughter Sangeeta tried to flee, they attacked her as
well. Twenty-six-year old Sangeeta was three months pregnant and
suffered a miscarriage because of the severe beating.

The police then entered the house of Brajpal Valimiki and hit him with
the butt of a rifle. When the neighbours questioned, the police
attacked them as well. They also dragged Pappu Valmiki and his brother
Bhai Pratap, alias Munna, out into the streets before detaining them
at the police station for two hours.

But just as the assault had begun all of a sudden, it also came to an
abrupt end.

"All of a sudden, one of the policemen told us to get lost. When we
asked why they had attacked us and kept us in custody, they told us
that they were
looking for a youth named Munna, who belongs to Kunwanpur village
under Atrauli police station in Aligarh district," Pappu said.

Munna had apparently eloped with the daughter of a policeman posted in
Madhya Pradesh. The policeman had then called up the police in Badaun
and asked them to catch hold of Munna, which triggered the police
backlash.

Subhash Tiwari, station officer of Jafirnagar, admitted they had
raided a wrong village.

"When we tried to talk to Munna of Badaun, he was drunk and didn't
reply to our questions. So we thought he was the culprit. But we
released them as soon as we realised our mistake," Tiwari said.

Morshree, though, refuted Tiwari's claim. "They attacked us without
asking any question. At least four villagers have sustained serious
injuries. We couldn't take them to the hospital as it is far off. The
police should have apologised to us and taken the injured to the
hospital for treatment."

Senior superintendent of police V.K. Chaudhary said an inquiry has
been launched into the incident.

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[ZESTCaste] Enforce SC/ST Act strictly, says MP

http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/01/stories/2011040152000300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Enforce SC/ST Act strictly, says MP

Staff Reporter

KAKINADA: Amalapuram MP G.V. Harsha Kumar on Thursday expressed
dissatisfaction over the implementation of the SC/ST (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act and said that he would not remain silent if the Act
was not implemented properly.

Addressing a review meeting of the district vigilance and monitoring
committee on SC/ST welfare here, Mr. Harsha Kumar referred to the
quashing of the case filed by Joint Collector K. Sasidhar under the
Act against an advocate by the High Court. "The government must
approach the Supreme Court to render justice to the official. The Act
is not being implemented properly due to lack of sincerity among those
who part and parcel of the administration," he said.

Members of the committee faulted the district tribal welfare officer
for not turning up at the meeting. They felt that absence of full-time
joint director for the Social Welfare Department was resulting in
delay in implementation of the welfare schemes. Elaborate discussion
took place on recruitment of staff for welfare hostels on outsourcing
basis and relief and rehabilitation to the victims of the atrocity
cases. Additional Joint Collector B. Rama Rao presided over the
meeting. Rajya Sabha member T. Ratna Bai, Superintendent of Police
(administration) S.J. Janardhan, and District Revenue Officer S.
Venkata Rao were present.


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[ZESTCaste] Only caste barbs in public an offence: SC

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110401/jsp/nation/story_13795597.jsp

Only caste barbs in public an offence: SC
SAMANWAYA RAUTRAY

New Delhi, March 31: The Supreme Court has said that disparaging
remarks made about a person's caste in his absence and in close
confines of a home or room will not amount to an offence under the
SC/ST act.

Under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,
1989, only an accused who intentionally insults or intimidates with
intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe
in any place "within public view" is liable for prosecution, the court
said.

A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma delivered the
judgment while quashing a case under the act against a private school
headmistress accused of insulting a neighbour over his caste at his
home while he himself was away.

The court made it clear in its ruling on Tuesday that such remarks
would have to be necessarily made in the person's presence "in any
place within public view".

Asmathunissa and her husband Samiduddin, who ran the Little Star
School in Hyderabad's upscale Gayatri Hills area, had barged into the
house of a local resident who had complained of noise pollution caused
by their institution.

The couple allegedly referred in derogatory terms to his caste while
threatening his wife Sridevi, according to the police complaint filed
by the victims.

Asmathunissa and her husband were then charged under different
sections of the SC/ST Act.

They moved Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking to quash the complaint
but their plea was turned down. Asmathunissa and her husband then
appealed the order.

In the apex court, their lawyer argued that Asmathunissa had never
uttered the offending words, which were spoken by her husband and she
was merely accompanying him.

The lawyer then contended that in Samiduddin's case, even if he did
utter the offending words, Sridevi's husband, the object of the
remarks, was not at home.

"In the absence of the aggrieved person present at that point of time,
no offence can be made out against the appellant (Samiduddin)," the
lawyer said.

He then made the second key point, saying the entire incident took
place at Sridevi's residence and not in any place in public. "None of
the ingredients of this offence are present in the case. Even if the
contents of the complaint in its entirety are taken as correct and
true, no offence is made out against the appellant," the lawyer said.

The apex court accepted the arguments and quashed the complaint. The
bench quoted an earlier judgement in this context which said that
dumping excreta, waste matter, carcasses or any other obnoxious
substance in the premises or neighbourhood of a person from a lower
caste need not necessarily be done in his presence to be treated as an
insult.


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[ZESTCaste] Dalits houses attacked in T Narsipur

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dalits-houses-attacked-in-t-narsipur/147765-60-115.html

Karnataka
Dalits houses attacked in T Narsipur

Posted on Apr 01, 2011 at 02:15am IST
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MYSORE: Tension gripped Halagudu village as two persons were injured,
four vehicles were set ablaze and more than ten houses belonging to
dalits were ransacked in a caste clash in T Narsipur taluk.More than
seven persons sustained injuries. One of the injured Nanjunda has been
shifted to hospital and the dalits fearing for life have stayed
indoor.It is said that a petty quarrel between a few youths belonging
to dalits and upper castes during the Devamma festival snowballed into
a clash at around 6 pm. The youths went on the rampage in Halagudu
village, which is dominated by upper caste Hindus, and damaged a
tractor, set fire to bikes and an autorickshaw beside the
MysoreCoimbatore National Highway. They also pelted stones at houses
belonging to dalits, damaged street lights and bikes. More than 100
dalit families had stayed away from the festival since 2003.Dalitha
Sangarsha Samithi leader Shivakumar accused the police of failing to
provide protection to dalit families. He said that the police did not
turn up even after repeated pleas.However, Additional SP Venaktaswamy,
and others rushed to spot with additional forces and stepped up vigil
in the village. Vehicular movement on Mysore-Kollegal road was
disrupted for some time as the miscreants attempted to attack the
vehicles.

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[ZESTCaste] Honour killing: Haryana opposes Centre''s proposal to amend IPC

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/honour-killing-haryana-opposes-centres-proposal-to-amend-ipc/632138.html

Honour killing: Haryana opposes Centre''s proposal to amend IPC
PTI | 10:03 PM,Mar 31,2011

New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) Haryana, infamous for honour killings, has
"categorically" opposed the Centre's proposal to amend the IPC to
define the gory crime, even as Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have
supported the move in this regard. Fifteen states have sent their
views to the Group of Ministers (GoM) considering changes in the
criminal laws, including booking all the members of the gathering
which order such killings for the offence of murder, along with those
who actually commit the murder. Ten states have not responded on the
controversial matter. Haryana is the only state to have categorically
opposed the move to amend laws to check the growing menace, government
sources told PTI. Of the five states most affected by honour killings,
Haryana is the only one which has opposed the Centre's move.Delhi,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have supported the decision for a strong
deterrent to curb such killings. Punjab has so far maintained silence
on the issue. The nine-member GoM headed by Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee set-up last year will take up the response of the states in
its next meeting. The ministerial panel had sought views of the states
on its proposal to add a new clause in section 300 of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC) to specifically categorise honour killing as murder. Till
now, honour killing is not a classified crime in India, and no
separate data is available of such cases with the National Crime
Records Bureau. The new definition of honour killing will carry the
same punishment as that of murder � ranging from a minimum of life
imprisonment to a maximum of death sentence, including for those who
order it. Moving to deal with the problem of honour killings, the
government has mooted proposals to amend the law to classify such
incidents separately under the IPC which will also arraign a caste
panchayat which orders such acts. As per the amendment, bodies like
caste panchayats can be brought under the ambit of the crime as they
are accused in many instances of ordering killings in the name of
protecting honour of a community. The Law Ministry has given a
go-ahead to a proposal of the Home Ministry to insert a separate
section in the IPC to define the crime. Honour killings -- where men
and women are killed by their kin or members of their caste for
defying traditions -- are rampant in western parts of Uttar Pradesh,
Punjab and Haryana.

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[ZESTCaste] Academics bat for freedom of expression

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Academics-bat-for-freedom-of-expression/Article1-679938.aspx

Academics bat for freedom of expression
Vikas Pathak, Hindustan Times
New Delhi , April 01, 2011

Is over-sensitivity about our national leaders compatible with the
freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution? Gujarat's ban on
Joseph Lelyveld's book suggesting Mahatma Gandhi as bisexual is just
the latest among a host of bans and criticisms of publications going
against the popular imag
e of our heroes and icons.

Law Minister Veerappa Moily reportedly went as far to suggest a
legislation to make disrespect for the Mahatma punishable, but
retracted on Thursday by saying that there was no need for a ban or a
law.

"It is better for writers to self-regulate. I don't think any changes
to existing laws are required at the moment. It will not serve any
purpose," Moily said.

The larger question, however, remains: does public outcry prevent
further knowledge production relating to our icons, which in the long
run can prevent us from knowing them more intimately.

"The freedom to criticise on the basis of evidence must be there. The
space available for such discussion must be maintained," veteran
historian KN Panikkar told HT.

Asked about the desirability of a law to make the Mahatma's 'insult'
illegal, he added, "It is a highly deplorable idea. Even acceptance of
such an idea is anti-intellectual and anti-freedom of expression."

Badri Narayan, an Allahabad-based scholar of the Dalit movement, says,
"Facts are always explored. If you stop doing that, writings will
become hagiographical. There are legitimate Dalit critiques of Mahatma
Gandhi. There must always be scope for intellectual inquiry."

The idea: it is through critiques and counter-critiques that we get to
know our heroes better, and also from fresh perspectives.

The Ambedkariite Dalit movement has looked at Gandhi critically,
lambasting his fast unto death to prevent separate electorates for
Dalits in 1932 and painting Gandhi's term for Dalits, Harijan, as
patronizing. And this critique is central to its ideological
framework.

Revolutionaries contemporary to him had been skeptical about Gandhi's
non-violence, and Marxists often painted him as an impediment to
revolution by the masses. The Hindu Right painted him as 'pro-Muslim',
and he has also been questioned from a feminist perspective. Last but
not the least, Gandhi embarked on radical self-criticism in his
promptness to lay open his personal life to public scrutiny.

Perhaps, it is this Gandhian legacy that is under threat.


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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: request

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ranjani k.murthy <rk_km2000@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Subject: request
To: dalit siddharta <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
Cc: Burnad Fatima <burnadfatima@gmail.com>

Dear Sidharat

As census results are out showing a delcine in child sex ratio with
reduction in population growth rate, the  population cotnrol lobby
continues to argue that marekt may even out dowry and caste barriers
may break.

however, many postings in zest caste show to the contrary. in what way
can i filter honour killings based on caste from zest caste.

we are planning to take to the streets this election in tn- tndwm and
unorgnaised workers assoication .. already started yesterday, as part
of asian rural women;'s meeting was convened under coordination of
tnwf/tndwm (fatima), wherein 1000 dalit women gathered. TNWM and tndwm
was harassd saying they were giving money to women to vote, while all
we were doing was raising awareness that mixies, gas, fridge, laptop
was useless without land, reources, food, housing eviction etc.

Ranjani
(member of tnwf)

--- On Wed, 30/3/11, Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
Subject: [ZESTCaste] Australian Filmmaker To Make Movie On Honour Killing
To: "zestcaste" <zestcaste@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, 30 March, 2011, 7:17 PM

http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20110172551&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=hollywood&nid=95038

Australian Filmmaker To Make Movie On Honour Killing
Press Trust of India
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 (Mumbai)

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