Tamil Nadu - Madurai
Dalit panchayat chiefs face discrimination: report
D.Karthikeyan
Fact-finding team reveals its findings
"Panchayat clerks who are mostly from dominant castes act as de facto
presidents"
"Violence had also been unleashed on
the presidents"
MADURAI: Panchayat presidents belonging to Dalit communities and women
in particular are still being discriminated against and it includes
practices of untouchability in many forms, denial of rights and
non-cooperation from dominant castes, a fact-finding report has
revealed.
A fact-finding team, which investigated the challenges,
discriminations and violence faced by Dalit panchayat presidents of
Sivaganga district, released a report containing its findings here on
Wednesday.
The findings reveal that the meaning of grass root democracy and local
governance is still at large for the elected Dalit representatives.
The team had met panchayat presidents of Poyyalur, Nenchanur, Namanur,
Arasanoor, Thanjakoor, Kanur, O. Pudur, Chinnakannur, Tirukolakudi
Kalayarkoil and T. Alangulam. According to the findings, dominant
caste are selecting or nominating the candidates in many of the
panchayats reserved for Dalits.
A few allegations include compulsion to sign blank cheques without
giving details of their utilisation; non-cooperation of dominant caste
members in panchayat councils; prevention of Dalit presidents from
passing resolutions and denial of access to panchayat records, account
books and registers.
Panchayat clerks who are mostly from dominant castes act as de facto
presidents without giving them the necessary space to function
independently. During meetings, Dalit presidents were allowed to sit
on the floor and not on the chair. It was also found that 'Makkal Nala
Paniyalargal' of Tirukolakudi in Tiruppattur panchayat citing
"untouchability and questions of honour" had refused to receive money
from Dalit presidents and asked them to bring it to their homes.
Violence had also been unleashed on the presidents who resisted. The
Alangulam panchayat president, Nenjattur panchayat president and
Thanjakkur panchayat president, along with his family members, were
attacked.
All these incidents were of recent past and no cases had been
registered so far under the relevant provisions of the Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The recommendations made by the team include a direction to the
District Collectors to periodically review the functioning of
panchayats and participate in the meetings. The SC/ST (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act should be implemented in letter and spirit. Adequate
protection should be given to presidents who faced threat.
Sivaganga district has 445 panchayats out of which 85 are reserved for
Dalits. Out of the 85, 33 panchayats have Dalit women as presidents.
The team comprised members from Tamil Nadu Federation of Women
Presidents of Panchayat Government, Dalit Panchayat Presidents
Federation of Tamil Nadu and Panchayat Presidents Coordinated
Federation- Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Tamil Nadu NGO Alliance for
Empowering Panchayats and Human Rights Foundation.
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