Latest News Update: Jun 8, 2010

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Fellowships for Dalit Professionals

Fellowship for Dalit Professionals
Dalit Foundation, New Delhi
Location: Anywhere in India
Last Date: June 20, 2010
Email: fundraising@dalitfoundation.org

About Dalit Foundation: Dalit Foundation is a non-government
organization, the first grant-making institution in south Asia working
for the empowerment of Dalit communities. Established in June 2003,
the Foundation's mission, vision and programme objectives focus
exclusively on empowerment of Dalit communities and eradication of
caste based discrimination. It is committed to support individuals,
community-based organizations, and networks that work to secure social
change and protect the rights of Dalits.

Dalit Foundation provides small grants and fellowships to individuals
and organizations working among Dalits in India. The focus areas are
combating caste violence, eradication of manual scavenging, building
leadership among Dalit women and youth, rights over natural resources,
health and education, etc. The aim is to build the capacity of our
partners in order to execute effective grass-root level interventions.

We are also committed to building a strong line of leadership for the
Dalit movement and promoting Dalit art and culture through our various
other programmes including the Fellowship Programme for Dalit
Professionals.

About the Fellowship
In order to increase the participation of Dalit students and
professionals in the Dalit Movement, Dalit Foundation awards
fellowships to dynamic Dalit professionals from the fields of
engineering, law, medicine and journalism. As part of the fellowship,
the selected candidates will be required to carry out the following
activities:

• Development of a comprehensive data base of Dalit Professionals from
all across the country and from leading professional fields
• Establishment of support and counselling groups for Dalit students
in leading professionals institutes of the country
• Establishment of a network of professionals in each of the four
zones (North, South, East and West), with a cadre of 20 professionals
for each zonal group
• Formation of a national level core group

Criteria for selection:
1. The person who has completed Master's studies from the respective field.
2. The person who has strong motivation and record of such initiative
during the campus life.
3. The person who is not an office bearer of any political party.
4. The female candidates to be given priority.
5. The person has the capability to do such work.

Period of fellowship: Shall be one year and it can be continued based
on performance.

Fellowship amount: Rs. 10000/- per month

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[ZESTCaste] Despite order, devotees can’t enter temple

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Despite-order--devotees-can-t-enter-temple/630763/

Despite order, devotees can't enter temple

Zahid Rafiq Posted online: Tue Jun 08 2010, 01:19 hrs

New delhi : For the thousands of worshippers who gather at the temple
in Majnu Ka Tila each week, a fistful of wrestlers have been a
headache for some time. Though the court passed a restraint order on
June 4, directing the Akhara, which is next to the temple, not to
interfere with religious gatherings and prayers in the temple, the
muscle flexing wrestlers seem to be in no mood to back off.
Civil Judge Dheeraj Mor passed the order on a suit filed by Gobind
Biswas, managing trustee of Hari Om Ashram Hanuman Mandir, restraining
the wrestlers' training centre from interfering in religious
activities at the temple, run by Matuas, Bengali Dalits. "But when the
worshippers went to the Mandir on June 6, the wrestlers stood in the
way armed with sticks and other weapons," said Ambika Ray, counsel of
the worshippers. The court, taking into consideration an new petition
filed by the temple, passed an injunction order and has posted the
matter for hearing on July 28.

Ray alleged that they called the police, who came to the scene after
40 minutes and after seeing the court order, dismissed it as an "ex
parte order". "We couldn't offer our prayers and are now waiting for
the next court hearing when we can complain against the police who are
clearly helping the wrestlers," Ray said.

During the June 4 hearing, the Sanjay Pahalwan Akhada were not
represented in court. "It is evident that the plaintiff (Biswas)
through the trust is in the settled possession of the suit property
and he is carrying out puja and other religious activities in the suit
property. If the plaintiff is dispossessed from the suit property
without following due process of law, it shall cause irreparable
injury to him... I deem it appropriate that the defendant (the akhara)
be restrained from interfering," the judge said.

The temple had been set up by Ram Kishan Dass, who was in the settled
possession of the property since 1977, and then executed a will in
favour of Biswas on March 4, 2005. Biswas alleged that the Akhara has
been trying to disturb the faith of the devotees and constantly
threatening the community to stop them from offering puja there.

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[ZESTCaste] Violence against Dalits on the rise

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/06/08/stories/2010060855820500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Salem

Violence against Dalits on the rise

R. Ilangovan

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

'Special act needed to stop discrimination against Dalits'

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

SALEM: Violence against Dalits who want to worship in village temples
and participate in festivals, is on the rise.

The sudden spurt in violent incidents, particularly in Tamil months of
Masi, Chitrai and Vaikasi when a majority of the temples in the State
celebrate festivals, is being viewed by activists including the
CPI(M)'s Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, as a disturbing
attempt.

The violence during the car festival of Sri Sakthi Kaliamman Temple at
Pottireddipatti village, in Namakkal district on May 24, had left
eight Dalits seriously injured.

A Dalit woman, Pappathi, who sustained a deep cut in the forehead in
the violence, says that Arunthathiyars built a temple of their own
since they were denied entry to the village temple by upper caste
Hindus.

Similarly, violence broke out on May 26 during the annual festival of
Sri Periya Mariamman Temple at Kannankurichi, near Salem. G. Suresh, a
Dalit was the chairman of the temple controlled by the HR and CE.

The police had to disperse upper caste Hindus and bring the temple
under lock and key.

Mr. Subash, a former headmaster, says the violence was unleashed by
people who could not tolerate him as the board chairman. "The entire
village, however, support me," he says.

Houses damaged

On March 28, houses of 10 Dalits were damaged following clashes during
the festival of Sri Santhapettai Selliamman Temple at Sankagiri.
Dhandapani, a Dalit, was attacked when he attended the Samabandhi
bojan at a temple at Karamadai, near Mettupalayam.

Huts of Dalits were burnt when violence broke out at the temple
festival in T. Edayapatti village in Karur taluk during 2008.

A recent study on Dalits being discriminated against in temples in 85
village panchayats in southern districts by the Madurai-based
'Evidence' says that since May 2009 Dalits are being denied entry into
temples in 69 village panchayats.

Temple cars would not be drawn inside Dalit colonies in 54 panchayats.
Clashes were reported from 49 panchayats during festivals.

'Evidence' wants the government to enact a special act to end the
discrimination against Dalits at places of worship and ensure them the
right to worship.

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[ZESTCaste] BSP MLA's kin kill Dalit

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/BSP-MLA--s-kin-kill-Dalit/631004/#

BSP MLA's kin kill Dalit
Agencies
Posted online: Jun 08, 2010 at 1219 hrs

BalliaThree persons, including the relatives of a BSP MLA, were on
Monday arrested here for allegedly beating a Dalit youth to death
after he attended a wedding function, defying a diktat, police said.

Tribhuvan and Laxman, cousin brothers of BSP MLA and former minister
Ghuraram, and Shobha Devi were held on the charges of killing Direndra
Kumar on Saturday night, Deputy Superintendent of Police B N Tiwari
said.

Dhirendra's family, which had been "socially boycotted" some years
ago, had earlier lodged a complaint accusing the BSP MLA of conspiring
in the murder, he said.

Earlier, police said the victim went to attend a marriage function
Saturday night and some villagers attacked him in order to teach a
lesson.

However, some persons had lodged a complaint alleging that the attack
was in retaliation to rape of a 15-year-old girl allegedly by
Dhirendra and his two associates.

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[ZESTCaste] Indian Village Burned by Upper Caste and Police: Two Dead

http://www.groundreport.com/World/Indian-Village-Burned-by-Upper-Caste-and-Police-Tw/2924565

Indian Village Burned by Upper Caste and Police: Two Dead
by William Watt June 08, 2010

"Do the poor have no right to live?" exclaimed Jaswant, a local Indian
of the village Mirjpur. Mirjpur recently had 20 houses burnt to the
ground by the Jat Community and experienced zero support from local
officers.

In fact, local officers were seen that night lounging in the houses of
the Jats. Some even stood aside as the houses were burned before
their eyes. There is great speculation that the police might have
actually deployed several of the groups responsible for the carnage.

Having said that, the Jats have been increasingly more violent in the
Hissar district of India. As of late, they burned houses in Dulina,
Salvan, and now Mirjpur village. Of the three burnings only Mirjpur
has experienced fatalities.

Two people died in the last carnage. A man and his disabled daughter
were burned alive in their home. A survivor of the incident, the
deceased man's son, was interviewed by IndiaUnheard correspondent,
Amit Kumar.

The man describes the means by which the Jats burned the houses, and
his despair is felt through the screen as he shows the wreckage of his
old home.

Jaswant explains that the Jats have been acting increasingly violent
to try and prevent the Dalit and Valmiki communities (lower castes)
from gaining equal rights. "They want us to be their slaves. This is
the only reason for this carnage."

The Dalit and Valmiki communities aren't experiencing relief from the
government, who makes false promises of justice to silence their cries
for help.

Standing tall to the camera, Jaswant speaks, "We want the government
to punish the culprits, and book the officers under section
302-SC/ST."

Knowing your rights is a first step, but in a society that depends on
the authority of a lackadaisical government, it is hard to imagine
Jaswant or Mirjpur village will ever see proper justice for this
incident.

To learn more about this story and to explore the hidden truth's
behind India's caste system, watch this short video.
http://indiaunheard.videovolunteers.org/amit/caste-violence-in-haryana/

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[ZESTCaste] Congress accuses Modi of anti-Dalit agenda

http://sify.com/news/congress-accuses-modi-of-anti-dalit-agenda-news-national-kghwOdciedb.html

Congress accuses Modi of anti-Dalit agenda

2010-06-07 22:50:00

The Congress party's Gujarat unit Monday accused Chief Minister
Narendra Modi of pursuing an anti-Dalit agenda and held him
responsible for the demolition of over 200 of their houses by the
Ahmedabad civic agency, rendering over 1,000 people homeless.

The party threatened an agitation if the repression is not stopped forthwith.

State Congress chief Siddhartha Patel and Leader of Opposition in the
assembly Shaktisinh Gohil said in Ahmedabad that the demolition of the
Dalit houses in Modi's own Maninagar assembly constituency was
indicative of his anti-Dalit attitude.

They said that the Barot Vas was regularised by the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation in 1983 and 204 Dalit families in the area,
comprising more than 1,000 people, were regular tax payers of the city
civic body.

However, a letter from the chief minister's office June 18 last year,
to the urban development secretary with a copy to the Ahmedabad
municipal commissioner said that the chief minister had received
complaints about 'anti-social activities' of the residents of the area
'causing harassment' to other residents in the vicinity.

Gohil alleged that the only complainant against the Barot Vas was a
local builder close to Modi and the chief minister issued a order to
the city civic body 'without making any inquiry'. And the municipal
corporation carried out the demolition last week without bothering to
clarify the situation or inquiring about the justification of the
complaint.

Threatening a state-wide agitation if the state government refused to
mend its ways, the Congress leaders claimed that during the last one
year, 20 Dalits had been murdered, 28 Dalit women raped and at least
in 27 villages Dalits faced a mass social boycott leading to forced
migration.

During the same period, 1,182 complaints of atrocities against the
Dalits were registered while over 6,000 cases were pending. But
despite repeated reminders by the courts, the state government was
showing no interest to pursue the cases, they added.

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[ZESTCaste] 11-year-old Dalit girl raped in Muzaffarnagar

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_11-year-old-dalit-girl-raped-in-muzaffarnagar_1392946

11-year-old Dalit girl raped in Muzaffarnagar
PTI
Monday, June 7, 2010 13:32 IST Muzaffarnagar: A 60-year-old man has
allegedly raped a dalit girl at Bhalheri village in the district,
police said today.

A case has been registered against Shobharam for raping the
11-year-old girl following a complaint by her father, they said.

Shobharam has raped the girl when she went to a field to collect grass
yesterday, police said.

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[ZESTCaste] Petition to grant aid to film on Ambedkar

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/petition-to-grant-aid-to-film-on-ambedkar/179728.html

Petition to grant aid to film on Ambedkar

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 08 Jun 2010 03:57:55 AM ISTLast
Updated : 08 Jun 2010 08:48:29 AM IST

CHENNAI: A WRIT plea has been made in the Madras High Court for a
direction to the governments at Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to grant Rs
60 lakh and Rs 30 lakh respectively for the release of the Tamil
version of the English feature film titled `Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar',
the Father of Indian Constitution, in addition to tax concession.

According to V Sundar, managing director of Viswaas Films Private
Limited of Abhiramapuram, he acquired the distribution and screening
rights of the film in TN, Puducherry and Kerala through Articles of
Agreement on February 5, 2007. The film, sponsored by the National
Film Development Corporation under the guidance of the Union Ministry
of Social Justice, was directed by Jabbar Patel and released in 2000.

The total consideration for the purchase of the film was fixed at Rs
7.50 lakh and he had so far paid Rs 4 lakh. The balance amount was to
be paid at the time of delivery of the prints. The petitioner claimed
that he had spent nearly Rs 30 lakh towards direct and indirect
incidental expenses.

He had to spend another Rs 90 lakh for the smooth and successful
release of the film in TN and Puducherry.

If the governments sanctioned the amount, to be utilised towards cost
of prints, cubes, paper, poster and media publicity, it would be very
beneficial not only to the petitioner but also to the entire
population to watch the movie.

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[ZESTCaste] The agony & the ajaat (P. Sainath)

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/06/04/stories/2010060455241300.htm

Opinion - News Analysis

The agony & the ajaat

P. Sainath

"CASTE IS EVERYTHING": Chaitanya Prabhu and Shyam Maharaj, the
surviving grandsons of ajaat founder Ganpati Maharaj, at Shyam's house
in Mangrul (Dastgir) village of Amravati district.

Amitabh Bachchan says that if ever asked about his caste by Census
enumerators, his answer would be: Caste – Indian. That, of course,
would do little more than stoke the media's bollywood feeding frenzy
yet again. Shyam Maharaj is no Bachchan. Nor is his brother, Chaitanya
Prabhu. But they and the followers of their fraternity will likely
throw up far more complex answers — and questions — if Census
enumerators do finally pop that query on caste. "Our answer: we are
ajaat. Here is my school leaving certificate to prove that. But you
can write what you like," Prabhu tells us at his house in Mangrul
(Dastgir) village of Amravati district.

Ajaat: this literally means ones without caste. The ajaat was a bold
social movement of the 1920s and '30s that at its peak had tens of
thousands of committed followers in what are present-day Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It was led by the colourful and
eccentric social reformer Ganpati Bhabhutkar better known as Ganpati
Maharaj. Chaitanya Prabhu and Shyam Maharaj are his surviving
grandsons. Apart from the usual anti-liquor and anti-violence norms of
such movements, Ganpati Maharaj threw in others. He attacked caste
frontally. Many stopped idol worship at his call. He pressed for
gender equality and even railed against private property. And, in the
1930s, he and his followers declared themselves as ' ajaat.'

His inter-caste dining drive raised hackles in the villages he worked
in. As one of his disciples P. L. Nimkar put it: "he would ask his
followers from all castes to bring cooked food from their homes. This,
he would mix up totally and distribute the mix as prasad." Caste was
his great target. "Inter-caste weddings and widow remarriage — that's
what he sought and achieved," says Prabhu. "In our own family, from
granddad to us, we married into eleven different castes, from brahmins
to dalits. In our extended family there have been scores of such
weddings. Ganpati Maharaj himself had such a marriage." He also
"created the religion of ' maanav' (humanity) and opened the temple
here to dalits, offending the upper castes," says Shyam Maharaj. "They
filed cases against him and no one would touch his case. All the
vakils here at the time were brahmins."

The movement waned over years, as some followers left on the caste
issue, and with its Gurus's death in 1944. (He is buried at a
community centre he built here decades ago, just opposite Prabhu's
home). Still, it remained known and respected for some time after
independence. "See my school leaving certificate," says Prabhu,
showing it to us. "As late as the 1960s, even the '70s, we still got
certificates calling us ajaat. Now, schools and colleges say they've
never heard of us and won't give our children admission." The
surviving ajaat are not doing too well. Shyam and Prabhu just about
make ends meet as petty agricultural traders.

Forgotten by the late '70s, the ajaat were re-discovered some years
ago by Nagpur journalists Atul Pandey and Jaideep Hardikar who wrote
about their plight in Marathi and English respectively. Their reports
sparked a Maharashtra government move to help them. But that died with
the exit of the one senior official who had shown interest in the
matter.

Ajaat candidates can't contest panchayat polls. Poll officials refuse
to accept their forms — which state no caste. " Ajaat folk can't get
ration cards without a huge struggle," says Prabhu. College
admissions, scholarships and government jobs elude them for the same
reasons. Other villagers won't marry into these families now as their
caste status lacks clarity. In short, the followers of a once proud
anti-caste reform movement have been reduced to a couple of thousand
people viewed as something like a caste themselves.

"My niece Sunaina could not get into college," says Prabhu. "The
college said: 'we don't recognise this ajaat. Bring us a proper caste
certificate and we'll admit her'." His nephew Manoj who did finally
make it to college says: "They treat us as an oddity there. There were
no scholarships for any of us. No one there believes such a thing as
ajaat exists." A restless younger generation feels imprisoned by the
past. Many of the ajaat, including Prabhu's family, have faced the
ignominy of having to trace out an ancestor whose caste could be
clearly proven.

"Imagine our humiliation," he says. "We have to take out caste
certificates for our children." Not easy, given the generations of
inter-caste marriages these families have seen. And even the ledger of
the village kotwal lists them as ' ajaat.' Some have had to trace a
great grandfather whose caste could be established. "To recover and
rebuild those old records is a horrible job," says Prabhu. "The
authorities suspect us of concealing things and faking our caste. And
it hurts us like anything to make these caste certificates. But
without them our children are truly stuck." Sadly, they had no choice
but to trace out the caste origin of anti-caste crusader Ganpati
Maharaj himself. That was needed for his great-grandchildren.

Quite a few of the remaining 2,000 or so ajaat gather at that centre
in this village in November each year. "Now there is only one such
family we have contact with in Madhya Pradesh," says a glum Prabhu.
The rest are in Maharashtra. "Only 105 are formally registered with
our body, the ajaatiya maanav sanstha. But far more than that come to
our annual meeting. However, consider that we once had 60,000 members
in this movement."

"We need a much more comprehensive survey of caste than the mere
introduction of a question in the Census will permit," says economist
Dr. K. Nagaraj (formerly with the Madras Institute of Development
Studies) who has worked on the subject. "That we need caste data is
beyond doubt. But we need that data in a frame that captures the huge
diversity, location-specific nature, and the many other complexities
of caste. A single question in the 2011 census will not achieve that.
This is perhaps a job for the National Sample Survey and its team of
trained investigators with much advance preparation."

So what happens if that enumerator does come around to your house with
the question on caste? "Believe me," says Prabhu, "It will confuse
him. I think they should create a different category in the Census for
people like us. We must declare who we are. We have fought against
everything that stands for caste. But in this society, caste is in
everything."

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[ZESTCaste] Khap Panchayats, Sex Ratio and Female Agency

http://epw.in/epw/uploads/articles/14825.pdf

Khap Panchayats, Sex Ratio and Female Agency

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

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