Latest News Update: Sep 8, 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

[ZESTCaste] 'Remove casteist principal'

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/sep/080910-casteist-principal-Dalit-leaders-DU-lecturer.htm

'Remove casteist principal'
By: Vatsala Shrangi Date: 2010-09-08 Place: Delhi

Dalit leaders, students and teachers up in arms against insult of DU lecturer

There has been a public outrage against the principal of a Delhi
University college who allegedly humiliated and insulted one of the
teachers at the institution.

MiD DAY had reported on Tuesday how Dr Vijay Sharma, principal, Ram
Lal Anand College, allegedly passed casteist remarks against Dr
Surendra Kumar, an ad-hoc lecturer in the Hindi department of the
institution.
Expressing shock at the incident, Udit Raj - Dalit leader and
president of Indian Justice Party - said he would take up the matter
with the Union HRD ministry.

"Caste system is inhuman and dangerous to the growth of the country.
The principal should be suspended to set an example for others. I
condemn the incident. I would take up the matter with the
Vice-Chancellor and the education department," he said.

Dr Sharma has already been facing an inquiry into charges of sexual
misconduct against him. The staff association has been up in arms
against the administrator, demanding his ouster. Dr Kumar had alleged
that
the principal targeted him for joining the protest against him.

Newly-elected Delhi University Student's Union president Jitendra
Chaudhary urged the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) to
take appropriate action against the guilty principal.

"I think it's an insult to the entire Dalit community. Students from
across the country come here to study and such incidents send a wrong
message about the institution. A man holding as prestigious a position
as that of a principal is not expected to behave in such an offensive
manner. We would request DUTA officials to take necessary action in
this matter," said Chaudhary.

The SC/ST teachers association of Delhi University has planned a
demonstration on the issue before the principal's office Wednesday.

"We have a right to live in a democracy respectfully. Caste cannot be
a ground to target us. We cannot allow it to go on," said Amar Singh,
general secretary the association.
Refusing to comment on the issue, Gurmeet Singh, proctor Delhi
University, says: "It would only be fair on my part to give a reaction
after verifying the facts from both sides."

THE STORY SO FAR
Dr Vijay Sharma, principal, Ram Lal Anand College of Delhi University,
has been charged with verbally abusing a Dalit teacher of his
institution.
"On August 31, I was standing along with some teachers who were
protesting against the principal on some issues. I reached the spot
after taking my class and was standing with two of my colleagues when
a peon told me that the principal has asked for me," Dr Surendra
Kumar, ad-hoc lecturer, Hindi, said in a written complaint to the
staff association, a copy of which is with MiD DAY.
Rubbishing the allegations, Dr Sharma said: "This is all trade union
tactics to frame me. I just wanted to improve work ethics here, but
the staff is opposing my reformist agenda."

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[ZESTCaste] Hurt, L Subramaniam may take legal route against Dalit outfit

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_hurt-l-subramaniam-may-take-legal-route-against-dalit-outfit_1435100

Hurt, L Subramaniam may take legal route against Dalit outfit

Published: Wednesday, Sep 8, 2010, 10:39 IST
By MK Madhusoodan | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

Violin maestro L Subramaniam, on Tuesday, said he was contemplating
legal action against those who were spreading
"false allegations" against him and his family.

A Dalit organisation had petitioned the police that the musician had
sexually harassed his former maid, Bhagya, 31.

The Yelahanka-based outfit approached the police after Subramaniam and
his wife, singer Kavita Krishnamurthy, lodged a police complaint of
theft from their house.They had named Bhagya as a suspect in the
complaint.

City police commissioner Shankar M Bidari said that the police
received a representation from the Dalit organisation, saying the
musician had sexually harassed the maid.

"The alleged victim did not register any complaint against the
musician personally," the commissioner said.

The police considered the representation as a petition and were
probing the case.

Meanwhile, Subramaniam said he was planning to take action against all
parties responsible for spreading false allegations against him and
his family. He added that the allegations were levelled against him to
divert the investigators' attention from the theft case.

Euros, Indian currencies and other valuables, all worth Rs6 lakh were
found missing from Subramaniam's house in RMV 2nd Stage between
December 28, 2009 and September 2 this year.

"Bhagya was engaged through Avon Facility Management Services Ltd. She
had stolen cash and valuables valued about Rs6 lakh and the police are
currently investigating the case," the violinist said.

According to the FIR registered by the Sanjaynagar police, 5000 euros,
Rs55,000 and a gold chain were stolen from the house.
In a statement made to the police, Subramaniam had stated that
Bhagya's lifestyle had changed over time, which made him suspect her
in the case.

The Dalit organisation made the representation against the renowned
violinist after the theft case was filed.

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[ZESTCaste] Seven arrested for assaulting Dalit family in Gujarat

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_seven-arrested-for-assaulting-dalit-family-in-gujarat_1435150

Seven arrested for assaulting Dalit family in Gujarat

Published: Wednesday, Sep 8, 2010, 12:26 IST
By Satish Jha | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

The Sanand police have arrested seven people in connection with an
atrocity case. The seven accused were held on Monday and produced
before a magistrate on Tuesday. The magistrate sent them to judicial
custody.

Eighty year-old Danabhai Parmar of Bhavapura in Sanand, had filed a
complaint a week back, alleging that Raman Thakore, Amrut Thakore,
Kana Thakore, Raju Thakore, Kanti Thakore, Mahesh Thakore and Kama
Thakore stormed into his house and assaulted him and his family
members.

According to the case details, Kanti Thakore had hired Parmar's
nephew, Gautam, 30, as a driver some time back. Over time, Gautam had
become intimate with Thakore's family members and had allegedly
developed illicit relations with his wife, Maya (name changed).

A source in the police said that the reason why Parmar's family was
assaulted was that Gautam's alleged intimacy with Maya. When Maya's
husband came to know of this, he, along with six other people, had
assaulted the driver and his family, the source said.

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[ZESTCaste] 13-year-old Dalit mom forsaken by 'spouse' family

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=23084

13-year-old Dalit mom forsaken by 'spouse' family

TEK NARAYAN BHATTARAI

PALPA, Sept 8: Thirteen-year-old Nirmala Nepali of Gulmi, who gave
birth to a daughter, now lies abandoned at the district hospital at
Tamghas. The young mother was left high and dry after the family of
the boy who made her pregnant fled from the hospital upon learning
that they would have to accept her as their daughter-in-law.

Although Nepali was discharged on Monday, she has been staying at the
hospital as she has nowhere to go.

Nepali, a sixth grader at Panchayan Higher Secondary School, said she
had consensual sex with a ninth-grader Brahmin boy at the same school,
with the understanding that they would marry in future.

The new mother said she was in love with Ramchandra Pandey, 18, son of
Tamlal Pandey of Dhurkot Bastu-3, and entered into a physical
relationship. However, the Pandey family has locked their house and
fled since Friday.

Although Nepali had decided to go to her parental home, she´s been
waiting at the hospital as police hoped to find the boy and his
family.

Nepali has been living on donations from some district organizations.
Chief District Officer Parshu Ram Aryal himself provided Rs 2,000 and
asked the Red Cross for clothing for the young mother.

"We´re searching for the boy´s family and supporting Nepali because of
her weak economic situation," Aryal said.

Aryal, who has been surrounded by organizations pressing to bring the
boy in, is seeking help from the Dalit Rights Activists Association
over legal issues. "Organizations come and surround me. How am I to
bring the boy immediately," Aryal said.

In case the boy´s family doesn´t accept the newborn, Aryal said they
would have to go to court to establish the relationship between the
two, and if needed, a DNA test should be done.

"If the boy´s family accepts the child, that´s fine. Otherwise, we´ll
have to take the case to court. However, various associations are
saying that the boy should be brought in by force," Aryal said.

Dr Bhesh Raj Pokharel of the district hospital said that although
Nepali was discharged on Monday, they´ve allowed her to stay on in the
hospital for some time. "The hospital has given her Rs 1,000, and Rs
1,000 more as maternity allowance," Pokharel said. He said that both
mother and child were in good health. At birth, the child weighed two
kg.

The district administrative office has directed Pandey´s neighbor Pom
Lal Bhandari to bring Pandey and his family to the office within five
days. Bhandari said that he did not know where the family had fled.
"I´ve heard that Ramchandra is in India. However, I don´t know where
the parents are," Bhandari said.

Human right activists and an NGO working for the welfare of the
suppressed have said that if the Pandey family is not found within
five days, they would make provisions for Nepali to stay at her new
home itself.

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[ZESTCaste] Why Tamil Nadu suspended this IAS officer

http://news.rediff.com/interview/2010/sep/08/interview-why-tamil-nadu-suspended-this-ias-officer.htm

Why Tamil Nadu suspended this IAS officer
September 08, 2010 11:57 IST

C Umashankar, a 1990 batch Indian Administrative Service officer from
Tamil Nadu, has been acclaimed for his honesty.
This did not always endear the 46-year-old bureaucrat to the powers
that be. Fifteen years ago, he made the news when he pointed out the
cremation shed scandal in Madurai [ Images ].

In 2008 he was the managing director of the Electronics Corporation of
Tamil Nadu when its subsidiary, ETL Infrastructure, worth Rs 700 crore
(Rs 7 billion) went missing! For raising questions over this shocking
episode, he was transferred before he could get to the bottom of that
one.

A year later he was the MD of the government-owned Arasu Cable
Corporation, which was in direct competition with the Sumangali
CableVision, owned by the politically powerful Maran family, when he
alleged that Arasu's cables were being cut by the latter.

He proposed the nationalisation of Sumangali, after which he was
transferred out from his post.

But this time, more action was to follow. On July 21, 2010, he was
suspended by the Tamil Nadu government -- for having submitted a false
community certificate when he joined the IAS 20 years ago.

The civil servant, who was reinstated by the Tamil Nadu government in
the first week of September, spoke at length to Rediff.com's A Ganesh
Nadar in Chennai while still under suspension.

While some people support you as an honest officer being victimised,
others support you because a Dalit officer is being victimised. How do
you see yourself?

Both. The elite and the intellectuals including the Makkal Sakthi
Katchi are supporting me as an honest officer. The poor Dalit people
are supporting me because I am a Dalit. They are agitating
spontaneously on my behalf.

What is the controversy over your caste certificate?

They say I am a Christian and that I have taken a caste certificate as
a Dalit Hindu.

My father Chellakani Sadayandi was a Dalit Hindu and my mother
Suganthi Santhabai Victoria was a Christian.

We are 12 children of whom 11 children are shown as Hindus. My mother
admitted me to the Sarah Tucker School for primary education where the
school authorities made the entry as Christian, judging from my
mother's faith.

When my father became aware of this in 1984, before I graduated, he
took me to a Hindu mutt and got me converted. He got it notified this
through the government gazette. This is the laid down procedure in
law. Then he got my community certificate.

We had two native villages, Mettupatti and Sathirakondan. Originally
both came under Sankarankoil taluka but subsequently new talukas were
created and that also brought about a change.

The government attempts to distort it by saying that I have taken a
false nativity certificate. My father and I had three options before
us for obtaining the community certificate: Palayamkottai where I
studied; Sankarankoil (native 1); or Mettupatti (native 2).

My nativity cannot change my caste status. The question they have
raised is on my caste and religion. Dalit Sadayandi Chellakani's son
cannot be a forward caste. There are 10 million Dalit people in Tamil
Nadu who belong to my subcaste (Devandra Vellalar). They are up
against the government due to my suspension.

The message is very clear -- my community considers me a jewel in their crown.

What happened in the Arasu Cable-Sumangali matter that got you in so
much trouble?

They were cutting the optic fibre cables of the Arasu Cable
Corporation. My officials lodged complaints and FIRs (First
Information Reports) with the police but they did not take any action.

Then I sent a series of reports to the government seeking high level
intervention to protect government property, yet no action was taken.

On January 5, 2009, I went to Coimbatore to safeguard the government
company's cables. We went on a night patrol along with the press
people and our cable operators to highlight the problem.

Till then the police had not filed a single FIR. All the complaints
which gave rise to cognisable offences were entered and kept in the
community service register of the respective police stations. After I
went there the Coimbatore commissioner of police registered five FIRs
but not under the Destruction of Public Property Act.

No follow-up action was taken. The culprits were not arrested, nor did
the cable cutting stop. Rather, it worsened, a week after my visit.

Arasu Cable people caught two criminals cutting the optic fibre cables
red-handed and handed them over to the police. They let them go. The
commissioner was helpless.

On January 7, 2009, I sent a proposal to the state government to
nationalise Sumangali Cable Vision, terming it a rowdy company.

What happened as a result of your action?

On January 22, 2009, I informed the cable operators during a meeting
at Vellore at which the press was also present that Sumangali Cable
Vision would be nationalised. The next day I was transferred out at 11
am.

On the subsequent day Arasu Cable Corporation had run into losses as
its optic fibre backbone cables were completely destroyed.

A mutual friend attempted to negotiate between Dayanidhi Maran [
Images ] (whose family owns Sumangali Cable Vision; he is now India's
[ Images ] textiles minister) and me, offering something to me in
return (in return for stopping his pro-active work). I refused.

This happened at Coimbatore airport, just before my departure after
the cable inspection.

Was the story similar at ELCOT?

I was heading the implementation team to promote nine information
technology special economic zones in Tamil Nadu. I was also the chief
architect (technical) for four extremely important e-governance
packages.

I was spearheading a campaign to promote free software in government
which has the potential to save Rs 5,000 crores (Rs 50 billion) every
year to India.

ETL Infrastructure Limited was a Rs 700 crore IT SEZ located in
Chennai which was a subsidiary of ELCOT's joint venture company. It
went missing from the records mysteriously.

No one knows how it went out of ELCOT's control or its joint venture
company ELNET.

When I was physically searching for the records in the premises of the
joint venture company on July 28, 2008, I heard the news that I was
transferred out from ELCOT.

It was the biggest shock of my life. It took me three full months and
continuous visits to church to recover from it.

I have given details of the people who caused my transfer in my
complaint to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

When were you suspended and why?

I was suspended on July 21, 2010. They have quoted that there was a
problem in my community certificate. I gave my community certificate
to the Union Public Service Commission and not to the state
government. I am an officer of the Government of India and not the
state government.

The suspension order has been done in the most malafide manner. It is
like a surgeon trying to do major surgery without even the body of the
patient.

Without my community certificate in hand, the Tamil Nadu government
has considered my community certificate as 'fake'. The Tamil Nadu
government is not my employer, but the Government of India.

I was recruited by the UPSC through a common all India service
competitive examination. Only the UPSC and the Government of India
have my records. So, without any records and without any authority the
Tamil Nadu government has resorted to my suspension. Strange indeed!

In 2003 you received an award from the National Democratic Alliance
government. What was that for?

I was the collector of Thiruvarur between 1999 and 2001. I implemented
the first e-district of the country. Based on that experience I wrote
a technical paper on e-governance security. I was awarded for best
paper during the national conference on e-governance in 2003.

There are reports that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi [ Images ] used to like you.

Yes! He liked me in the past. In 1999, at a public meeting, he called
me thambi which means younger brother.

You have also filed a case against the state government in the high court.

In May, the government started a detailed enquiry against me on the
complaint that I had accumulated assets disproportionate to my known
sources of income.
I have always been prompt in declaring all my assets and new
acquisitions, movable and immovable.

I have only two pieces of immovable assets -- a plot of land acquired
through the IAS Association in the far outskirts of Chennai city
during March 1998; the other a 1,000 square feet second hand flat at
Santhome in Chennai during March 2003. There is no further
acquisition.

For both these acquisitions I have taken prior permission from the
government, indicating the sources such as housing loan, GPF (General
Provident Fund), loan, bank loan etc.

My annual property returns for all these years indicate these details.

I came to know that the government was going to illegally raid my
house to tarnish my image because I chose to send proposals to
nationalise Sumangali Cable Vision. I moved the high court challenging
the illegal Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption enquiry on
June 6, 2010. The Madras high court stayed the vigilance probe.

The contention before the high court was that the state has powers to
prosecute an IAS officer under the Prevention of Corruption Act by
filing a proper FIR and not through the manual which enables secret
enquiry, thus enabling the government to tarnish the reputation of
honest officers who refuse to toe the line.

The argument advanced before the high court by my advocate was that
the government should immediately arrest me and interrogate me if it
feels that it has credible evidence on my alleged disproportionate
assets. He also declared that no bail application would be filed in
that event.

The state government was not ready to file an FIR against me nor it is
ready to arrest me.

Subsequently, I filed another case before the Madras high court on
July 16, 2010, challenging the DVAC (Directorate of Vigilance and
Anti-Corruption) manual, calling it unconstitutional.

I declared in my affidavit before the high court that the manual was
being used to shield the corrupt and to book innocent officers to
force them to toe the illegal line of the bosses. I was suspended on
July 21, 2010.

Subsequently the stay was vacated. The high court has said the
vigilance enquiry can go on, but the government cannot take action on
it without the court's permission.

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[ZESTCaste] Alter process of quota admission, HC tells JNU

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Alter-process-of-quota-admission--HC-tells-JNU/678857

Alter process of quota admission, HC tells JNU

Express News Service Posted online: Wed Sep 08 2010, 03:57 hrs
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the administration
of the Jawaharlal Nehru University to change the way it admits
students under quota, ordering that two petitioners before it be
admitted after calculating the eligibility criteria differently.
Two students from the OBC category, Apurva and Usham Rojio Singh, had
approached the High Court after they failed to secure admission this
academic year. Both argued they could not get admission because of the
way JNU had designed its admission procedure.

The court has asked the university to scrap the cut-off marks as it is
being defined at present. JNU will have to prepare a separate OBC list
and fill the 27 per cent reserved seats with students who pass the
entrance test.

While the HC order will affect only the petitioners, students are
planning to use it to renew their agitation against the university's
model of admitting OBC students. The All India Students' Association
will hold a march on campus on Wednesday, asking the administration
for a re-look at the way OBC students were admitted this year.

"A lot more students have been kept out by the way JNU has admitted
students this year. We want the university to remedy that," said
Sucheta De, JNU secretary of the AISA.

Newsline had reported Monday that JNU had succeeded in filling only
15.9 per cent of its 27 per cent OBC reservation quota this year.

Like last year, when the university succeeded in filling only 14.2 per
cent of the total 18 per cent OBC reservation, the shortfall was
caused not because eligible candidates were not available.

JNU to negotiate with SG on student polls
A general body meeting at the Jawaharlal Nehru University late on
Monday resolved to negotiate with the Solicitor General (SG) of India
to allow the university to conduct the students' union elections. The
resolution, supported by most student organisations, talks of
obtaining maximum relaxations till the case in the Supreme Court is
settled. The task of negotiating with the SG rests with the Joint
Struggle Committee of the University, which is fighting the case on
behalf of the students. "We have not got an appointment with the SG
yet. The points we will be debating on have not been decided yet.
Whatever we do, we will do it without changing the fundamental nature
of the JNUSU constitution," said Sandeep Singh, former JNUSU
president. A resolution was also passed on holding elections to the
Academic Council, Boards of Studies and the Gender Sensitisation
Committee Against Sexual Harassment.

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[ZESTCaste] OBC leaders from T have good chance

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/obc-leaders-t-have-good-chance-837

OBC leaders from T have good chance

September 8th, 2010

DC Correspondent

Hyderabad/New Delhi, Sept. 7: Since the ministers of state, Ms
Purandeswari, Ms Panabaka Lakshmi, Mr A. Sai Pratap and Mr M.M. Pallam
Raju belong to the Seema-Andhra region, the chances of MPs belonging
to the Telangana region, that too from OBC communities, to be made
ministers of state have increased.

There has been no representation for these sections in the Union
Cabinet both in UPA-I and UPA-II regimes.

But there are some delicacies involved.

For instance, Congress sources wondered if it would be fair to offer a
minister of state post to a veteran like Mr V. Hanumantha Rao,
three-time MP and former PCC chief. Similarly, Dr K. Kesava Rao,
though a first time MP, was also a PCC chief.

Youngsters such as the Secunderabad MP, Mr Anjan Kumar Yadav, and the
Nizamabad MP, Mr Madhu Yashki Goud, are also eyeing Cabinet berths. Mr
Nandi Yellaiah, who belongs to the Madiga subset of scheduled caste
community, is also dreaming big.

However, chances are not bright for Mr Kavuri Sambasiva Rao (Eluru)
and Mr Rayapati Sambasiva Rao (Guntur) who belong to the Coastal
Andhra area, since Ms Purandeswari from the same social grouping is
already in the Cabinet.

The Prime Minister's comment that he would reduce the average age of
the Cabinet has enthused young MPs but has given sleepless nights to
the senior ministers.

If Dr Singh goes strictly by the performance of young MPs in the Lok
Sabha, then Mr Manish Tewari (Punjab), Dr Jyoti Mirdha (Rajasthan), Ms
Meenakshi Natrajan (Madhya Pradesh) and Mr Raj Babbar (Uttar Pradesh)
may get a chance.

Mr Rajeev Shukla is another name doing the rounds and there are also
chances of Mr Shashi Tharoor's return as a minister.

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[ZESTCaste] Introspect why Dalits left party, Shevale tells RPI workers

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/introspect-why-dalits-left-party-shevale-te/673451/

Introspect why Dalits left party, Shevale tells RPI workers

Express News Service Posted online: Thu Aug 26 2010, 23:25 hrs
Pune : Republican Party of India (RPI)leader MD Shevale today urged
party workers to introspect why the Dalit or minority class, which is
considered the base of the party, has moved away from the party in
recent years. He was speaking at a workshop arranged for party
workers.
" It is necessary to do the introspection if RPI wants to make inroads
in the next PMC elections," he said. Parshuram Wadekar, who presided
over the function, said the RPI will focus on issues of slum dwellers,
unemployed, workers, rickshaw and taxi drivers. "The party will soon
start a campaign such as 'RPI worker at your doorsteps'. The party
will form booth committees in the wake of PMC elections upcoming in
2012," he said.

State president of Matang Front of RPI Hanumant Sathe, Navnath Kamble,
Siddharth Dhende, M B Waghmare were also present on the occasion.

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