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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Law to prevent SC, ST atrocities to be made more stringent

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article604163.ece

Law to prevent SC, ST atrocities to be made more stringent

PTI

Assuring the Lok Sabha that the government would make law more
stringent to prevent atrocities against SC and ST, Home Minister P
Chidambaram today said the principal responsibility was with the
states to implement these laws.

"We will make the law more stringent and if needed, bring amendments
in the Act (SC&ST Prevention of Atrocities Act)," he said replying to
a discussion on situation arising out of increasing atrocities against
SC and ST.

He said, "In my view, the principal responsibility is with the state
governments to implement these laws. The state government must post SC
and ST officials where the people are vulnerable."

About reservation in jobs for SC and ST, the minister said, "Since
1950...government is totally committed to reservation of SC, ST and
OBC in jobs. In UPA—I, we have cleared a backlog of 54,000 vacancies.
We would come up with another drive to fill the vacancies reserved for
SC and ST."

He said, "This is the most vulnerable country (as far civil rights of
SC and ST are concerned)...we can't call ourselves civilised...how we
treat our SC, ST and women."

About fund allocations for the welfare of SC and ST, he said, "The
ministries give details of funds allocated for SC and ST and the
schemes under which they partially benefited."

"Some ministries are not doing so. The Planning Commission has
constituted a committee for the purpose. Once the committee submits
its reports, all ministries would follow the same pattern of giving
details of funds allocated for SC and ST."

The minister pointed out that one of the reasons for atrocities
against SC and ST is that they are getting prosperous day by day.
"This has also created problems," he said.

He also said the delay in justice results in disappearance of evidence
and forces witnesses to turn hostile. Thus speedy justice is required
to ensure civil rights of vulnerable classes of society, he said.

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[ZESTCaste] Delegation of SC/ST MPs meet Manmohan Singh

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article605572.ece

Delegation of SC/ST MPs meet Manmohan Singh

PTI

A delegation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe MPs, including
some union ministers, on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
demand that an order providing reservation in government jobs be
replaced by an act to bring greater benefits to them.

"Members of the SC/ST Parliamentary Forum met the Prime Minister today
to demand that an Act is necessary to provide reservations to SC/ST
which is done through a government order," LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan
said.

The MPs also demanded that the Bill in this regard, which was passed
in Rajya Sabha in the last session of Parliament, be amended as it
excluded some government establishments in providing reservation to
the two categories.

"We demanded that there should be no exception. Section 4 of the Bill,
passed by Rajya Sabha, should be deleted. The Bill should be prepared
immediately and passed in the next session of Parliament," Paswan
said.

The delegation included union ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde, Kumari
Selja, Namo Narayan Meena and Vincent Pala, and MPs from other
political parties.

"The Prime Minister gave us a patient hearing and said he will hold
consultations on this issue," Paswan said.

Meena, who is minister of state for Finance, also brought up the issue
of job reservation for Scheduled Tribes by the Delhi government.

"7.5 per cent reservation in jobs to STs in the Delhi government is
being provided under a Home Ministry notification of 1955. But a
recent Supreme Court order said a Presidential notification is
required for this reservation in jobs and education. The Prime
Minister assured us that he would take up the matter," Meena said.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit ends life after questioning by police

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=194976

Mangalore: Dalit ends life after questioning by police

MANGALORE AUG 31: A 30-year-old Dalit from Kerala, who was staying at
a relative's house at Kulai 20 km from here, committed suicide by
hanging. The body of the victim, who has been identified as Bijulal,
was discovered at around 6 a.m. on Monday and his relatives alleged
that he was pushed to take the extreme step because of harassment by
the police.

On Friday a joint investigation team comprising officers from
Bangalore's Peenya Police station and Surathkal police station had
picked up and allegedly assaulted members of a Dalit family. The
police team was in search of a youth named Subhash from Mangalore who
was charged with kidnapping a Hindu girl from Bangalore. The family
maintains that the couple is in love and eloped fearing retribution.

Nevertheless, the police team allegedly forced its way into Subhash's
relative's the house and dragged Bijulal (30), Somu (16) and Shaina
(19) to the Surathkal police station.

While Shaina and Somu alleged that they were assaulted by the police,
Bijulal did not make any such claims.

"But the police tortured him mentally and threatened him with dire
consequences during interrogation," said an inconsolable Shaina who
spoke to The Hindu on Monday following Bijulal's death.

Sajani, another relative of the deceased, said: "Biju was a very timid
man and was prone to depression. His psychological State was not very
stable after his father's death last year. We told this to the police
when they were dragging him away but they would not listen." She
blamed the police for his death.

According to her, Bijulal began sulking and was in a petrified state
after coming back from the police station. "He kept saying that the
police would kill him and that they would find him wherever he went,"
said Ms. Shaina. On Sunday evening he left home saying that he would
return to Kerala as he would feel safe there.

"The next morning our neighbours found his body hanging from a tree," she said.

Incidentally, the man's death comes a day after the monthly SC/ST
grievance meeting at the city police headquarters, where Assistant
Commissioner of Police S. Girish insisted that his subordinates had
not acted outside the purview of the law in the incident.

However, despite the death, Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh
told The Hindu that Bijulal was called to the police station only for
questioning. "He was mentally disturbed for the last 10 days. His
uncle told us that that he was mentally disturbed even before he was
picked up for questioning," he said.

But he denied allegations that the police action had acted as the
final trigger. However, he assured a fair and impartial probe.

The Dalit family is now worried about the future of the missing
couple. "If something happens to them the police will be responsible,"
said Ms. Sajani.

Hindu

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[ZESTCaste] Law for SCs, STs could be strengthened: PC

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Law-for-SCs--STs-could-be-strengthened--PC/674682

Law for SCs, STs could be strengthened: PC

Express news service Posted online: Tue Aug 31 2010, 01:32 hrs
New Delhi : Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday called for
institutionalising of oversight mechanisms at the grassroots level to
prevent atrocities against Dalits and tribals even as he asserted that
laws dealing with the issue could be strengthened. Responding to a
debate on increasing atrocities against SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha,
he said regular monthly meetings on the specific issue between the SP,
DM, Public Prosecutor and judges of lower judiciary would go a long
way in curbing such crimes.
Admitting that the number of cases against SCs and STs had increased
in the last three years — from 26,665 cases in 2006 to 29,875 in 2007
and 33,365 cases in 2009 — Chidambaram added that the number of
convictions, on the other hand, was only around 30 per cent.

The disturbing low percentage of convictions, he said, was largely
because of the high number of acquittals that was, in turn, caused by
delay in justice. "The delay has resulted in disappearance of
evidence, which forces witnesses to turn hostile," he said, adding
that speedy justice was hence required. He added that pendency of
cases was also very high.

Asserting that there had been historical injustice against SCs and STs
because of divisions in society, he said the country should not only
address the atrocities but also the divisions. Without naming the
Mirchpur incident in Haryana where Dalits were allegedly driven out of
the village, he said the recent incident in a "neighbouring state" was
an example of the manner in which the wealthy and powerful inflict
atrocities on these communities and how deeply entrenched the problem
was.

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[ZESTCaste] House panel slams Haryana police

http://www.hindustantimes.com/House-panel-slams-Haryana-police/Article1-594007.aspx

House panel slams Haryana police

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times

New Delhi, August 31, 2010First Published: 00:39 IST(31/8/2010)
Last Updated: 00:41 IST(31/8/2010)

A parliamentary panel on Monday slammed the Haryana police for its
"negligent attitude and inaction" on the issue of atrocities against
Dalits in Mirchpur village of Hisar district in April. A 60-year-old
Dalit and his handicapped daughter were burnt alive and 18 houses were
set on fire allegedly by Jats on April 21 following a scuffle between
the two communities.

The parliamentary panel rap for the police comes four days after the
Supreme Court had slammed the state government, for its failure to
arrest all the accused.

"The negligence and lackadaisical attitude of the state police in
apprehending and taking proper action against all the accused justify
the fear psychosis that has engulfed the affected people," said the
Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in its
report presented to both Houses of Parliament.

The panel, which visited Mirchpur, concluded that the dominant Jat
community continues to threaten the Dalits.

"During interaction with affected people, the committee was informed
that they were being asked by the dominant Jat community to withdraw
the FIRs filed against the culprits," the report said.

The Congress brass had taken the issue seriously and party general
secretary, Rahul Gandhi, had visited Mirchpur on April 30.

A rattled state government had swung into action. It announced a
compensation of R20 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rone lakh
damages to those whose houses were burnt. It also informed the SC on
Thursday that 52 accused had been arrested and 71 others were yet to
be arrested.

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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Law to prevent SC, ST atrocities to be made more stringent

[ZESTCaste] Delegation of SC/ST MPs meet Manmohan Singh

[ZESTCaste] Dalit ends life after questioning by police

[ZESTCaste] Law for SCs, STs could be strengthened: PC

[ZESTCaste] House panel slams Haryana police

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