Latest News Update: May 5, 2010

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Chorus for caste-based census within Cabinet

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Chorus-for-caste-based-census-within-Cabinet/articleshow/5891082.cms

Chorus for caste-based census within Cabinet
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN, May 5, 2010, 03.06am IST

NEW DELHI: The demand for restoration of caste-based census got a
solid boost on Tuesday, with members of the Union Cabinet making a
forceful pitch for the enumeration of OBCs nationally.

A decision on the issue was deferred as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
stressed detailed discussions, and there are indications that
inclusion of caste as one of the criteria for the census may not be
possible for the exercise that is already underway.

But Tuesday's brainstorming was marked by a very strong push for
revival of caste-based census that was done away with after
Independence. There was opposition too, but it was not so vigorous,
with home minister P Chidambaram, one of the main opponents, citing
logistical constraints rather than ideological considerations that led
the founding fathers to scrap the caste count.

The remark of a Cabinet minister -- "it is an open issue" -- was
itself a testament to the success of the OBC establishment in
reopening what was once seen as an issue settled forever.

Even Chidambaram said that if deemed necessary, a caste count could be
handled by some other agency like the National Commission for Backward
Classes rather than being made a part of the decennial census.

Commerce minister Anand Sharma cautioned against repercussions of
reviving caste-based census that was "discontinued 70 years ago".
Social welfare minister Mukul Wasnik was another voice of opposition.

Those who argued strongly for the return of caste census included OBC
faces such as law minister Veerappa Moily, minister for overseas
affairs Vayalar Ravi, telecom minister A Raja and fertilizer minister
Alagiri. Their arguments were boosted by the backing of finance
minister Pranab Mukherjee. Urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy
was also vociferous in supporting the demand.

The development coincides with the strong demand in Parliament for
revival of caste census. On Monday, BJP and Left had joined OBC
leaders Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav to demand that
caste be brought back as a count criterion.

The developments in the Cabinet may provide a fillip to the advocacy
for caste-based census when Lok Sabha discusses it on Wednesday.

Within the government, law minister Moily has been in the forefront of
the pro-caste census move. Moily, as reported by TOI on September 15,
had written to the PM demanding that the ban on caste enumeration be
done away with. In the current instance, the law minister backed the
idea, saying that with so many development schemes being designed
around caste, the country needed "master data" on the "social reality
that cannot be wished away".

The home ministry, in its response, said inclusion of caste in the
current census may not be possible because enumeration had already
rolled out. It also pointed to the larger problem of counting people
on the basis of caste, because of migration and because those who are
"backward" in one state may not be so in another.

Chidambaram, however, failed to convince the backers of census who
said only the decennial census could meet the challenge of identifying
the caste of 100 crore people.

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[ZESTCaste] 'Family got Nirupama to write suicide note'

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/96078/India/'Family+got+Nirupama+to+write+suicide+note'.html

Courtesy: Headlines Today

'Family got Nirupama to write suicide note'

Headlines Today Bureau
New Delhi, May 5, 2010

Murdered Business Standard journalist Nirupama Pathak's boyfriend
Priyabhanshu has alleged that her family may have forced her to write
the suicide note.

Priyabhanshu told Headlines Today that the suicide note theory was
being floated by Nirupama's family to hush up her murder.

Nirupama was found dead at her home in Koderma, Jharkhand. Police have
arrested her mother for allegedly murdering her.

One of the doctors who performed the autopsy said that three people
were involved in Nirupama's murder.

Nirupama, a Brahmin, was supposed to marry Priyabhanshu but the family
was against it as he is a Kayastha.

Nirupama was pregnant at the time of her death. Her brother has
alleged that Priyabhanshu raped her. The family is also accusing
Priyabhanshu of trying to influence the probe.

But Priyabhanshu denied any wrongdoing, saying he and Nirupama loved each other.

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[ZESTCaste] Paswan too for caste census

http://www.ptinews.com/news/639374_Paswan-too-for-caste-census

Paswan too for caste census

STAFF WRITER 21:32 HRS IST
New Delhi, May 4 (PTI) LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan today made a strong
pitch for caste census as demanded by RJD and JD (U), saying it is
necessary to arrive at the exact population of various castes in the
country.

"First caste census was carried out in 1931. A long period has passed
since then. Ignoring the issue won't do as caste is a reality in
Indian system. Even ticket distribution by political parties is done
on the basis of caste.

"Moreover, there have been attempts to divide Dalits in the name of
Mahadalits in Bihar. Hence, it needs to be known the exact population
of different caste groups," Paswan said.

His alliance partner in Bihar Lalu Prasad-led RJD as well as their
principal opponent the JD-U have already said they are in favour of
caste census.

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[ZESTCaste] Blaming It On Caste

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Home/Opinion/Edit-Page/Blaming-It-On-Caste/articleshow/5887365.cms

Blaming It On Caste

May 5, 2010, 12.00am IST

Caste, often, makes its appearance in unusual circumstances. DMK chief
M Karunanidhi believes that caste leaves its mark even on corruption
scandals. He thinks that A Raja, Union minister for communications and
information technology and a senior DMK leader, is facing corruption
charges because he is a Dalit. The opposition has accused Raja of
corruption in the 2G spectrum allotment and wants him to resign. The
DMK chief is free to defend his minister and oppose the opposition's
attempt to force him out of the Union cabinet. But should he lean on
the minister's caste to make his defence? Raja has been accused of
cronyism and financial misappropriation. His detractors believe that
these contributed to loss of revenue for the government. An impartial
assessment of the allegations needs to be made. A defence in favour or
against the minister must be made accordingly.

To accuse those who have made allegations against Raja and his
ministry as motivated by caste prejudice is to obfuscate the issue and
is unacceptable. In fact, such comments dilute the fight against
caste. Caste discrimination continues to be rampant in India and
Dalits face the brunt of it. That, however, is no reason to suspect
caste prejudice behind corruption charges levelled against a Dalit
minister. If the DMK chief feels that the allegations against his
minister are not backed by facts, he should challenge them on that
ground. The fight against caste prejudice should not be mixed up with
the need to have transparency and accountability in public office.

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[ZESTCaste] Government not for caste census

http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/05/stories/2010050562470100.htm

Front Page

Government not for caste census

Sujay Mehdudia and Siddharth Varadarajan

Opinion in Cabinet divided

New Delhi: Despite the growing demand for collection of caste-wise
data during the ongoing Census exercise, the Union government has
decided there will be no change in the way the population is being
enumerated. At the same time, it is ready to discuss and consider
other ways of generating a more accurate statistical picture of the
caste composition of Indian society, highly placed sources told The
Hindu on Tuesday.

With a number of national and regional parties demanding that the
current census be modified to include caste, the Cabinet discussed the
matter in order to firm up the government's position before
Wednesday's discussion in Parliament. But though the status quo is to
prevail, the meeting saw sharp divisions between Ministers arguing for
and against change. According to sources, there were three distinct
positions: those opposed to any collection of caste data, those
opposed to the use of the census but not to some other statistical or
survey method, and those in favour of including caste in the census.

The Census of India, which was first conducted synchronously in 1881,
collected universal caste-wise population data until 1931. Though the
census continues to count the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes, the Other Backward Classes have not been enumerated for 80
years, prompting some parties to argue that their share of the
population — and, thus, to the reservation pie — might be higher than
what the Mandal Commission extrapolated from decades-old census data.

At Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, whose
Ministry oversees the census, argued against the demand to include
caste. He said the enumerators lacked the sociological sensitivity to
record and classify the population on the basis of caste and
sub-caste. According to sources, he suggested that the backward
classes commissions at the State and Central levels be better placed
to conduct a detailed survey. Others not inclined towards a caste
census were Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Human Resources
Minister Kapil Sibal.

The meeting ended with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointing to the
need for more discussion in government and within the UPA
constituents.

Opposition parties, including the BJP, the SP, the RJD, the JD(U) and
the CPI, have been demanding that since reservation and other benefits
were given to people on the basis of caste, the government should
reintroduce caste in the census.

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[ZESTCaste] Rahul offers hope but not enough reason for Mirchpur Dalits to return

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Rahul-offers-hope-but-not-enough-reason-for-Mirchpur-Dalits-to-return/615093

Rahul offers hope but not enough reason for Mirchpur Dalits to return

Aanchal Bansal Posted online: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 at 0847 hrs
Hisar : For the past ten days, the front lawn of the district
collector's office in Hisar has been home to over 50 Dalit families of
Mirchpur village. Their homes were torched over a dispute by a group
of men from the Jat community on April 21.
The nondescript village nearly 60 km off Hisar has suddenly become a
hub of activity after the violent attack that claimed two lives — that
of an 18- year -old polio-stricken girl Suman and her 70 -year-old
father Tarachand. While special police forces patrol the area to
prevent another flare -up, it was AICC general Secretary Rahul
Gandhi's quick visit (without CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda) on April 30
that seems to have got the authorities moving in the case.

Gandhi's visit, which was meant to be seen as statement of 'strong
disapproval' of the way things were handled by the state government
both before and after the incident, was followed by the arrest of
Station House Officer Vinod Kajal and the district Tehsildar on May 1.
Both were booked in an FIR lodged on April 22 accusing them of
colluding with the Jat community and allowing the incident to happen.

Both Kajal and the Tehsildar will be kept in judicial custody till May
6 and have been booked under the SC/ST Act and the IPC for murder.
According to Superintendent of Police Subhash Yadav, the police has
arrested 31 of the 43 men from the Jat community named in the FIR
lodged by the Dalit group.

While the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh
each to the families affected and a government job to the members of
the family of the two deceased, the Dalits have, as a measure of
protest, refused to go back to their village. Kamla Devi, Tarachand's
wife and Suman's mother has refused to take the compensation amount of
Rs 10 lakh.

"I will not go back to the village. They killed my husband and
daughter there," says Kamla who was taken to the district hospital
earlier during the day after she fainted on Sunday morning. Kamla's
son Deepak (18) adds, "Rahul Gandhi visited the village and said that
he would speak to the chief minister and ensure that such incidents do
not happen again. But we do not want to go back."

Gandhi's visit seems to have given the Dalits the hope of a new home
outside the caste lines drawn in their village. "We want a new plot of
land and they could call it Rajiv Basti if they want," offered Jaswant
Kumar, whose house was completely burnt down in the violence. "This
tension between them and us has always been a part of our lives. But
what is the point of going back now...my entire house along with my
belongings were charred in the fire. There is no reason to go back,"
Jaswant adds.

According to a fact-finding team comprising activists from NGOs
National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and ANHAD along with
journalists that had visited the village three days after the
incident, Mirchpur has a handful of Dalits: about 100 Balmiki families
and 350 'Jatav' families against the 1700-odd Jat families.

According to Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD, the team found that the violent
attack was only 'ostensibly' about a dog being pelted with a brick.
"It was a manifestation of long -tension between the two communities.
They specifically attacked the well-off in the village that happened
to be Dalits....three houses had weddings planned and they
particularly damaged things like television sets that often are a
symbol of well being in villages," she said. The team found that one
of the reasons for the clash was a contract for building a fish pond
being awarded to a Dalit contractor.

The families that have been camping at the district office are being
supported by Dalit action groups and NGOs for their daily supply of
food. An ambulance and a doctor from the district hospital visits the
camp twice everyday, treating villagers for dehydration. "It is very
hot and most of the patients are women. Kamla Devi herself has fainted
twice in the last 24 hours," says Dr SP Singh while sorting out the
packets of glucose and tablets meant to be given to the group.
"Security forces have been deployed in the area to make Dalit families
feel secure,' Deputy Commissioner (Hisar) O P Sheron, said.

While the matter has acquired political overtones over the last few
days, increasing after Gandhi's visit, Tarachand's own family is
divided on the issue of compensation. Elder son Amar Lal has taken his
share of the compensation and taken the job of a clerk, while the
other two brothers are on the dharna.

"He is the son of my husband's first wife. This is very unfortunate,"
Kamla Devi says.

While Amar Lal conducted the thirteenth day ceremony, meant to mark
the end of mourning for his father on Friday, Kamla Devi and her two
sons conducted the ceremony at the district office on Sunday morning.
"We will not budge till we are given a new house," Deepak adds. Back
in the village Amar Lal says, "I have to rebuild the house and there
is no point sitting there. We need to get on with our lives," he said.
Amar Lal joined the district office as a clerk on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Village Panchayat, represented by all members of the
community met the agitating Dalits on Monday morning. "We have spoken
to them and have assured them safety. This matter has to end and they
can't stay out of the village for ever," said advocate Manphool Singh,
who headed the Panchayat.

" The Dalits will get back to us on this on Wednesday," he added.

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[ZESTCaste] NEW MEMBER

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