NAGAPATTINAM, November 4, 2011
Villupuram records highest number of atrocities against Dalits: study
Staff Reporter
Sivaganga tops in pendency in court with 395 cases followed by 358 in Madurai
The statistics on crimes against weaker sections released by the State
Crime Records Bureau point out that the atrocities against Dalits do
not overwhelmingly hinge on the strength of their population in a
specific geographical area.
Pitching a field study on the SCRB data, Madurai-based Evidence, a
Dalit rights organisation, has inferred under-recording of Dalit
atrocities, even though atrocities against Dalits were independent of
the strength of their population.
The SCRB-released data had the following statistics. Villupuram, with
largest Dalit population in State, has recorded the highest number of
atrocities against Dalits with 103 cases; Virudhunagar with 14{+t}{+h}
position in Dalit population recording 99 cases; followed by Madurai
(excluding Madurai Corporation) with 28{+t}{+h} position in Dalit
population recording 93 cases. The report says Vellore, with second
largest Dalit population, recorded 27 incidents and Nilgiris in the
19{+t}{+h} position on atrocity.
However, the field survey by Evidence has recorded gross
under-recording of violence against women and children under the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act, 1989.
The statistics for an 18-month period from January 2010 to June 2011
point to over 66 incidents of atrocities against women and children.
Of these 33 cases, accounting for 50 per cent of cases, fall under
rape and sexual harassment.
"The SCRB had recorded just about 24 rape cases under the SC/ST (POA)
Act. However, the field study we conducted in just 40 villages of the
State revealed nine rape incidents during the same period that went
unrecorded under the SC/ST (POA) Act," says Kathir, Director,
Evidence.
Of an average of 1.75 lakh cases registered annually in Tamil Nadu,
only 1664 cases (1631 cases on Dalit atrocities and 33 on Tribals)
were registered in 2010 under the Act.
According to Mr. Kathir, the State-level Vigilance and Monitoring
Committee, mandated to meet every six months to ascertain the
functioning of the SC/ST (POA) Act had met just once in 2010 in the
last five years.
Pitching its research inference on the SCRB data, the study points to
low conviction rates and high pendency rates under the SC/ST (POA)
Act.
Despite under-reporting and under-recording of atrocities against
Dalits, the conviction rates in crimes against Dalits stood as low as
5 per cent; and at 5.8 per cent conviction in Dalit rapes, with
acquittals at 95 per cent.
As of 2010, pendency of cases under the Act stood at 2,092.
Sivaganga has topped in pendency in court with 395 cases; followed by
358 in Madurai; 343 in Villupuram; 277 in Tirunelveli and 205 in
Virudhunagar.
The study states that Dalits are pitched against embedded
institutional biases at every stage from the recording of complaint up
to prosecution and conviction.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment