Latest News Update: Jan 21, 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Little has changed for Dalits of Saligrama

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article1101797.ece

MYSORE, January 19, 2011
Little has changed for Dalits of Saligrama
Muralidhara Khajane

Little has changed for the Dalits of Saligrama village of K.R. Nagar
taluk in Mysore district who have been ostracised by 'caste' Hindus
since September 26 following a silly altercation.

The Dalits in the village are having a tough time finding work. They
are disappointed with the Government, which, they say, has not
attempted to ensure social justice for them. The district
administration has not distributed the compensation of Rs. 30 lakh
released by the Government, they add.

Taking objection to what they consider the apathy of the
administration, the district unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has
decided to hold a protest rally on Republic Day.

Speaking to The Hindu, district BSP president Shivamahadeva regretted
that the administration, which had promised to protect the rights of
Dalits after the media highlighted the issue, had failed to keep its
word.

According to Srinivas of the village, Dalits have been dismissed from
their jobs by 'caste' Hindus after the announcement of the social
boycott. People who were earning Rs. 150 to Rs. 200 in the village
were forced to trek 10 km to earn Rs. 50, he says, adding that people
travelled to nearby Haradanahalli, Karpoorahalli or even Kodagu
district for work.

"Except for providing work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, the district administration has not done
anything so far," he claims.

Although on the surface it appeared that the social boycott had been
withdrawn, Dalits were not getting jobs. "We are living under fear,"
he says.

Fact-finding team

Of a population of about 10,000, 2,000 people living at Saligrama are Dalits.

The social boycott stemmed from an incident where cattle belonging to
'caste' Hindus grazed on land belonged to a Dalit. When the Dalit
registered a complaint with the police, he was reportedly assaulted
and a social boycott was called.

A fact finding team of the Communist Part of India (Marxist) led by
State Secretariat member Maruthi Manpade found that Dalits were being
denied work in farms, while many had lost their jobs. A.H. Vishwanath,
Mysore MP, had also appealed to Minister in charge of the district
S.A. Ramdas to help the people. "But nothing has changed," bemoans
Krishnamurthy, Dalit leader of Saligrama.

Challenge

The Dalits have taken the social boycott as a challenge, Mr. Srinivas
says. "Reposing our faith in the law of the land, we have decided to
fight against social boycott. We want the Government to support us
under the rights enshrined in the Constitution."

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[ZESTCaste] Three-decade-old struggle by Dalits to retrieve land continues

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article1103254.ece

MADURAI, January 20, 2011
Three-decade-old struggle by Dalits to retrieve land continues
D. Karthikeyan

It has been more than three decades since the land originally meant
for Adi Dravidars of Vandiyur Theerthakadu village were encroached by
caste Hindus. The Madras High Court has twice ordered the eviction of
encroachments and relocation of Dalits in the identified lands.

The 349 Dalit families, who were living on the Vaigai riverbed, were
allotted 9. 73 acres of land (Old Survey No 260/2A, 260/2B New Survey
No.112/2A, 2B) by the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Welfare Department on
March, 3, 1979. The families were handed over pattas on December 12,
1995.

However, the land was encroached by caste Hindus and even after a
series of protests, dharnas and petitions by Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal
Katchi (VCK) and other Dalit organisations, the encroachments were not
removed. The encroachers, meanwhile, formed a residents' welfare
association (RWA) and thwarted all attempts made by the Dalits to make
the administration remove their encroachments. Members of VCK filed a
writ petition in the High Court, which, on October, 30, 2008, ordered
the removal of encroachments within six months and locate the Dalits
in Vandiyur.

The Revenue Divisional Officer's report following the court direction
says that only 11 pattas were purchased from Adi Dravidars and houses
were built on them and kept under occupation. However, 231 houses were
built without pattas and occupied by way of encroachment and the total
extent of land occupied by persons other than Adi Dravidars is 3.03
acres. In the absence of any action to remove the encroachments, the
RWA went on appeal in the Madras High Court. On October 22, 2010, the
High Court ordered the district administration to relocate the
encroachers in the 3.87 hectares of land identified by them at
Sakkimangalam and if they refused to move evict them in accordance
with law. The Principal Secretary and Special Commissioner, Land
Administration, were also issued copies of the order.

VCK has been organising various protests at many places and also in
front of the Collectorate but there is no appropriate action from the
administration. Party president and Member of Parliament Thol.
Thirumavalavan wrote a letter to the District Collector citing the
details of the court proceedings and requested him to take necessary
action.

Members of VCK organised a protest on January 10 in front of the
Collectorate demanding the removal of encroachments. In continuation
of their protests, they have planned to organise a fast unto death
from Thursday. A. Muthamizh Pandian, rural district treasurer and
coordinator of Vandiyur Theerthakadu Land Retrieval Struggle
Committee, said that Dalits had been denied their fundamental right to
have a decent living. He said that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
should intervene and retrieve the land meant for Dalits.

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[ZESTCaste] From Dalits to Divinity: A Hindu Solution

http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/From-Dalits-to-Divinity-A-Hindu-Solution-01-20-2011.html

From Dalits to Divinity: A Hindu Solution

Padma KuppaBy Padma Kuppa

As I reflect on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., by
participating in the MLK Day of Service, I thought of these words from
his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail": "Injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one
directly, affects all indirectly."

Recently, the Hindu American Foundation, an advocacy group concerned
about issues impacting Hindus in America and around the world,
published a report, "Hinduism: Not Cast in Caste—Seeking an End to
Caste-based Discrimination." HAF (of which I am an Executive Council
member) is a prominent Hindu American organization, and it articulated
its views about caste in this report, so it can be used in
interactions with media, interfaith fora, policymakers,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the American public at
large. HAF's report took five years of dedicated research, interaction
with and support from a broad spectrum of scholars and spiritual
leaders from various sampradayas (traditions), and a willingness to
focus inward.

Caste-based discrimination is a problem throughout South Asia today,
and the organization's stand against caste-based discrimination and
birth-based hierarchy outlines how Hinduism can be the solution to the
problem. It also explains how caste is not intrinsic to Hinduism, and
speaks to the complexity of caste in the Indian context, where
political and economic factors are of major impact to the issue. The
report also describes how conversions to Christianity (and other
religions) have not led to an improvement in the situation of
converts, who continue to suffer discrimination at the hands of "upper
caste" Christians, even while missionaries are using caste as a reason
to vilify Hinduism. Supporting documents include a statement from a
Hindu SC community leader in Chattisgarh affirming his pride in
Hinduism, and an article on the plight of Christian Dalits by a
well-known Christian interfaith activist. HAF follows the tradition of
many Hindus and non-Hindus who have worked on social reform to bring
about justice and equality: we are all one human family, "Vasudaiva
kutumbakam"; what affects one of us, affects all of us.

For the foundation for my understanding of caste, I take you to a
comic book of sorts: an Amar Chitra Katha. As a young girl growing up
in America, I loved these picture books; among my favorites (still) is
one titled Adi Shankara. I was young enough to have memories that
seared into my consciousness concepts of social justice, the role of
women, and the importance of family life. The image from the cover of
this Amar Chitra Katha was also etched in my mind: the debate between
Mandana Mishra and Shankara. Mandana Misra's scholarly wife, Ubhaya
Bharati, agreed to serve as the moderator, and one can see these three
primary characters seated on low stools surrounded by an audience,
with two snow-white flower garlands adorning the debaters. These would
be used to determine the winner—the garland of the one whose arguments
didn't hold up would wither away. The book laid out Shankara's advaita
Vedanta—the nondualistic philosophical approach to God found within
Hinduism—as it chronicled some other key points in his life story.

The book also illustrated how Shankara composed Manisha Panchakam. A
man who did the work of cremation (a chandala, an outcaste) approached
this great 8th-century Hindu saint, who had bathed and was on his way
to the temple in Varanasi. When Shankara's disciples demand that he
move out of the way, per the practices of those days, the outcaste
asks, "What should I move, my Self (the divine consciousness in each
person) or my self, represented by one's body and flesh?" From this
simple story, I understood that there is divinity within each one of
us, regardless of who we are born to, and what job we do.

So when I moved to India at the end of tenth grade, I believed that
your actions and your words are what determine where you fit into
society, and then I learned that it wasn't that easy, that people
still practice birth-based caste, the practice is not confined to
Hindus, and caste in India is complicated by factors too complex to
cover in a thousand-word essay.

Fast forward a few decades, and I have become an active member of the
community where I live, volunteering and working in various ways to
improve the quality of life of those around me. I have become an
ambassador of sorts for my faith, serving as the Hindu voice at
interfaith events, participating in service and social justice events,
giving lectures and presentations on Hindu beliefs and practices, all
while promoting pluralism and promoting understanding of "the other."
I usually let people know it's okay to ask me about anything, and in
the top five I usually end up with questions on caste, on arranged
marriages, and the bindi (the dot on my forehead). So how thankful I
am that I am able to provide not only my Amar Chitra Katha and
Shankara's Manisha Panchakam (taught to me by the Temple's senior
priest), but now a professional research report from HAF, along the
lines of our annual "Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey
of Human Rights."

In his letter from the Birmingham jail, MLK exhorted his fellow
Christian ministers to uphold the legacy of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, and pointed out that "there is a type of constructive,
nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth." The HAF position,
highlighting a gap between countless Hindu scriptures and teachings,
which recognize and respect the divinity in all beings, and the
practice of caste in the treatment of many fellow Hindus, has created
tension. Sometimes intra-faith conversations are harder than the
inter-faith ones.

Quoting HAF's Associate Director Jay Kansara, "just as Dr. King
believed that Christian principles and this nation's founding ideals
of democracy and freedom proved segregation and racism to be wrong, we
believe by proper interpretation and adherence to Hindu scriptures and
ideals, Hindu society can overcome this tragedy. I am confident that
if Dr. King were alive today, he would have read the report and would
give HAF his unequivocal endorsement of it."

Let us hope that the tension created by HAF's report helps Hindu
Americans grow, and that we are able to help our Hindu brothers and
sisters around the world, and promote justice and equality.

Padma Kuppa is a writer, IT professional, community activist, wife,
and mother working to build a more pluralistic society within a Hindu
and interfaith framework. You can also read her blog A Balancing Act,
at padmakuppa.blogspot.com. The views represented in this column are
not a reflection of the views of any organization of which she is a
part.

Kuppa's column, "Seeking Shanti," is published on alternate Thursdays
on the Hindu portal:
http://www.patheos.com/Religion-Portals/Hindu.html

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[ZESTCaste] Mirchpur violence: Jats continue protest for sixth day

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mirchpur-violence-jats-continue-protest-for-sixth-day/739974/

Mirchpur violence: Jats continue protest for sixth day

Agencies Posted online: Thu Jan 20 2011, 12:52 hrs
Jind : Residents of Mirchpur and adjoining villages continued their
indefinite sit-in on railway tracks here for the sixth day today,
remaining adamant on their demand for a fresh probe into the killing
of two Dalits in April last year after which 98 members of their
community were booked.

Members of the pre-dominant Jat community have been sitting on the
tracks at Julani village near Jind railway station since January 15,
due to which railway traffic on the Jind-Jakhal section of the
Delhi-Ferozepur route has been disrupted.

Despite the cold weather, about 5,000 people, including women, remain
squatted on the railway tracks throughout the day while in the night
around 200 people carry on the dharna.

The protesters have pitched three tents, one on the track itself,
which also store their blankets, quilts and ration.

Their food is cooked near the protest site with residents of nearby
villages including Julani and Sangatpura ensuring supplies of
vegetables, cereals, wheat flour and fuel. Tea is available throughout
the day.

Police personnel have been deployed in strength to ensure maintenance of peace.

After the upper-caste villagers began their indefinite dharna, the
call for which was issued by a Jat Mahapanchayat of 42 khaps or caste
councils, long-route passenger and goods trains have been diverted via
other routes including Jakhal while some local passenger trains have
been cancelled.

The villagers are protesting the booking of 98 members of their
upper-caste community in the case relating to the killing of
70-year-old Dalit Tara Chand and his 17-year-old daughter Suman in
April last year.

They are also opposed to the shifting of the trial of the case to a
court in New Delhi and lodging of the accused in a prison in the
national capital and are demanding that the probe be held either at
Rohtak or Hisar and the accused be lodged in either of the two jails.

A Delhi court had on January 9 directed the Haryana Government to move
all the 98 accused from Hisar jail to New Delhi's Tihar prison
following the transfer of their trial to a special court in Delhi by
an order of the Supreme Court on December 9 last year, after the
aggrieved party had approached the apex court claiming that a fair
trial was not possible within the state.

Tara Chand and his daughter were killed when their house was set afire
on April 21 last year in Mirchpur district after which 98 members of
the Jat community were booked in connection with the case.

Though Mirchpur village falls in Hisar district, the protesters are
squatting on railway tracks in Jind as their village is only 15 kms
from here.

The Haryana Government's attempts to broker peace with the protestors
have been futile as they paid no heed to PWD Minister Randeep Singh
Surjewala's assurance on January 18 that the state government was
likely to move the Supreme Court to shift further investigations in
the case to the CBI.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit officers feeling alienated in Maya raj?

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/national/dalit-officers-feeling-alienated-maya-raj-116

Dalit officers feeling alienated in Maya raj?
January 21st, 2011
DC

Jan. 20: Dalit officers in Uttar Pradesh are feeling increasingly
alienated in the Mayawati government and some of them are even angry
with their "own" government.

The anger of dalit officers has welled up to such an extent that about
a dozen of them, some retired, met at a private dinner two days ago
and discussed the issue threadbare. "This was supposed to be "our"
government but this time, it is the brahmin officers who have
completely influenced the chief minister and barring a few, all dalit
officers have been sidelined," said one dalit officer who has remained
sidelined since the past two years.

Another officer who faces a similar fate said, "With dalit officers
kept out of the chief minister's favour, there is no one to protect
the interests of the dalit community in the government. Even though
the chief minister has formulated schemes for dalits, the benefits are
not reaching the target groups because the upper caste officers are
showing laxity in implementation.'

The recent removal of additional Cabinet secretary, Netram from his
post and Chandra Prakash from the post of IG Lucknow, has clearly sent
out wrong signals among dalit bureaucrats.

"Both these officers were removed on recommendations of brahmin
bureaucrats and their mentors. This kind of action has a demoralising
impact on dalit officers who, in any case, get shunted to
inconsequential postings in non-BSP governments," said the officer.
According to sources, the biggest reason for the growth of BSP and the
popularity of the chief minister during her first three regimes was
the sincerity of dalit officers towards the government. If the
officers are to be believed, the success mantra of the BSP lay in the
hands of dalit bureaucrats. Talking to this correspondent on condition
of anonymity, a retired dalit officer who attended the dinner meeting
said, "We went out of their way to ensure good governance and
protection of dalits in Mayawati regimes. It is because of this that
dalits felt safe in the BSP rule and the state machinery was extremely
responsive towards the deprived sections of the society.

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[ZESTCaste] Punia assures victim mother-daughter duo of help

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Punia-assures-victim-mother-daughter-duo-of-help/articleshow/7328904.cms

Punia assures victim mother-daughter duo of help
TNN, Jan 20, 2011, 10.02pm IST

KANPUR: Chairman of the National Commission for Schedule Caste and
Schedule Tribe PL Punia on Thursday met the mother and daughter duo
who were allegedly fabricated in a theft case by the Fazalganj police
when their employer Shalini Gujral, the owner of a beauty-parlour,
failed to force them into flesh trade.

Punia claimed UP had been witnessing atrocities against the SC/ST and
weaker section, and said the Mayawati government had not been able to
take appropriate action. Referring to Banda's Sheelu and Kanpur's
Divya cases, he said cases of atrocities against dalits and weaker
section had escalated in the state. "Atrocities against dalits and
weaker section under the chief ministership of Mayawati, (who is) a
dalit herself, has increased," Punia said while talking to media on
Thursday.

Merely suspending a police official was not good enough, he said. The
government should lodge an FIR and terminate the service of the police
official who had "implicated" them in the false case, he claimed. He
said the Commission had taken a serious note of the incident and would
deal with it strictly.

Punia visited Dwarikapuri house of the victims and met their family.
He assured them of all possible support from the Commission in their
resolve for justice.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits flee Mirchpur again

http://www.asianage.com/india/dalits-flee-mirchpur-again-297

Dalits flee Mirchpur again
Jan 21, 2011 |

Age Correspondent

Chandigarh

Perhaps fearing a repeat of last year's caste violence that left a
70-year-old and his disabled daughter dead, besides 18 of their homes
reduced to ashes, many dalit families have left Hisar's Mirchpur
village in the face of the agitation by upper caste jat khaps or caste
councils.

The jats want the trial in the Mirchpur case restored back to Hisar
from the special court in Delhi where it was transferred on orders of
the Supreme Court last month. The protesters, who have blocked the
main Delhi-Ferozepur railway track in Jind for the past six days, are
also demanding the return of 98 jat youth arrested in connection with
the case from Tihar Jail.
Though the protesters have tried to reassure dalit residents their
demonstration was in no way directed against them, more than a dozen
families have left Mirchpur's Balmiki Mohalla for "safer" places.
The Hisar district police however denied there had been any dalit
migration from the village. "These are mere rumours. We have deployed
a big force there and will maintain peace at all cost," a senior
police officer said. Both the police and the district administration
are understandably nervous.

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[ZESTCaste] Will the Banda rape victim get justice?

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/will-the-banda-rape-victim-get-justice/140830-3.html

Will the Banda rape victim get justice?
Shreya Dhoundial, K Bimbadhar, CNN-IBN
Posted on Jan 18, 2011 at 09:24pm IST

Banda: The quest for justice for the rape victim in Banda is going
nowhere. An inquiry into why the Dalit girl had to spend 30 days in
jail for a theft that looks like a cover up for rape is going on. But
the shocker is why it took two weeks for the jailer to order a medical
inquiry after the victim had informed the jail staff of her plight. A
gap of seventeen days which makes it impossible to determine rape.

The question is that was the delay deliberate to shield the alleged
rapist, BSP MLA Purushottam Dwivedi? The inquiry officer, Additional
IG, prisons, Uttar Pradesh Yogesh Shukla says he will make sure that
justice is delivered.

Trusting the system isn't something that comes easily to the poor,
says Santosh Pal, the self styled leader of the Gulabi or the Pink
Saree gang. She and her band of illiterate housewives were the first
to question the theft charges against the Banda victim. She says she
is not surprised that a medical test wasn't ordered for the victim .
Click to play video
Banda: The quest for justice for the rape victim in Banda is going
nowhere. An inquiry into why the Dalit girl had to spend 30 days in
jail for a theft that looks like a cover up for rape is going on. But
the shocker is why it took two weeks for the jailer to order a medical
inquiry after the victim had informed the jail staff of her plight. A
gap of seventeen days which makes it impossible to determine rape.
The question is that was the delay deliberate to shield the alleged
rapist, BSP MLA Purushottam Dwivedi? The inquiry officer, Additional
IG, prisons, Uttar Pradesh Yogesh Shukla says he will make sure that
justice is delivered.
Trusting the system isn't something that comes easily to the poor,
says Santosh Pal, the self styled leader of the Gulabi or the Pink
Saree gang. She and her band of illiterate housewives were the first
to question the theft charges against the Banda victim. She says she
is not surprised that a medical test wasn't ordered for the victim .

It is an unpleasant reality invisible India lives with every day with
justice often a commodity that the poor can't afford.

Right from the beginning the Banda rape story has been an unequal one.
A poor Dalit girl was pitted against a powerful politician with the
system at his back in call. How the story ends will say a lot about
our criminal justice system.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit youth dies in police station, probe ordered

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Dalit-youth-dies-in-police-station--probe-ordered/739656/

Dalit youth dies in police station, probe ordered
Express News Service Posted online: Thu Jan 20 2011, 22:33 hrs
Amritsar : Sanjiv Kumar alias Sipu, a Dalit boy and resident of
Fajjupura village in Gurdaspur district, died mysteriously inside the
Dhariwal police station on Wednesday, where he was lodged on theft
charges. While the police termed it a case of suicide, a judicial
inquiry has been ordered and three policemen suspended.

According to reports, the police arrested Sanjiv on the complaint of
one Raj Kumar who claimed his mobile phone shop had been burgled and
that he suspected Sanjiv.

Claiming that Sanjiv was innocent, his family alleged that he was
tortured by the police, which led to his death. Gurdaspur Senior
Superintendent of Police Varinderpal Singh, meanwhile, said Sanjiv
committed suicide. "He used the string of his underwear to hang
himself from a water tap," he said.

The SSP, however, confirmed that they had suspended ASI Amarjit Singh,
Constable Harpinder Singh and Constable Parminder Singh for
negligence.

He added that he took up the matter with the Gurdaspur session judge
and a judicial probe had been ordered into the matter.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit activist now booked for waging war against state

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/2011012020110120055310177dfac4c73/Dalit-activist-now-booked-for-waging-war-against-state.html

Cover Story

Dalit activist now booked for waging war against state

Police claim radical Marathi editor Sudhir Dhawale was responsible for
putting up incendiary posters in Gondia on December 14; wife says he
was in Mumbai that night

Jyoti Punwani

Posted On Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 05:53:10 AM

The state upped the ante against Dalit activist and editor of Marathi
magazine Vidrohi, Sudhir Dhawale, booking him for waging war against
the state under section 121 of the Indian Penal Code. On January 2,
Dhawale was arrested on charges of sedition. The difference between
the two is that unlike sedition, waging war against state also has a
provision of death penalty.

Police alleges on the midnight of December 14-15, posters were put up
in Gondia district in connection with the 'Shaheed Saptah' or Martyrs'
Week observed by Naxalites in the area. An FIR was registered against
unknown persons. Dhawale has now been shown as an accused in that
case.

Sudhir Dhawale (right) at a protest outside CST last month to free Binayak Sen

After his arrest, the court had remanded Dhawale to police custody
till January 12, after which he was sent to Bhandara Jail. However, on
January 14, the police made him an accused in this FIR and asked for
custody again. After three days of questioning, he was sent back to
Bhandara Jail.

His wife Darshana counters that on December 14 Dhawale was in Mumbai
participating in the birthday celebrations of well-known Dalit Panther
Samadhan Navkar, Dalit Panther and now Mumbai president of Mumbai
Democratic Republican Party at Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh.

"This is the police's known modus operandi,'' said advocate Surendra
Gadling, Dhawale's lawyer. "I have handled about 60 cases where the
suspect, usually someone who is vocal against government policies, is
picked up in one particular case, then slapped with one case after the
other, so as to keep him inside for a long time.''

Meanwhile, the inquiry into Dhawale's arrest, ordered by Home Minister
R R Patil, after a delegation led by filmmaker Anand Patwardhan met
him, was indeed held by a DIG-rank officer. Only, the officer never
met Dhawale, claims Gadling.

Gondia Sub Divisional Police Officer Borate told earlier told this
newspaper that Dhawale had been named by one Bhimrao @ Bhanu Bhovate,
whom he described as a ``State Committee Naxalite leader'', arrested
recently in Gondia. Bhovate had reportedly told the police that he
had given his computer, which had Naxalite literature in it, to
Sudhir. Thus it was necessary to seize Dhawale's computer, said
Borate.

A well-known name in Dalit and Left circles, Dhawale was one of the
founders of the Republican Panther Jaatiya Antachi Chalwal (movement
for annihilation of caste), formed on December 6, 2007, Dr Ambedkar's
mahaparinirvan day, at Shivaji Park.

This group grew out of the anger of Dalit youth against the Ramabai
Nagar firing (1997) and the Khairlanji killings (2006). He joins a
growing list of men from Mumbai including Vernon Gonsalves, Arun
Ferreira, Shridhar Shrinivasan alias Vishnu who have been held for
their Naxalite connections.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit woman gangraped by five men, case registered

http://news.oneindia.in/2011/01/20/dalitwoman-gangraped-by-five-men-caseregistered-aid0126.html

January 20, 2011 » India » Full Article
Dalit woman gangraped by five men, case registered
Thursday, January 20, 2011, 14:15 [IST]

Kanpur, Jan 20 (PTI) A Dalit woman was allegedlygangraped by five men
following which a case has beenregistered in this regard, police said
here today.

The victim, resident of Baraijhal village, wentmissing on January 15,
was found in an unconscious state nearBhauti area last night by her
family members, who then boughther to the police station.

The victim has alleged in her FIR that LallaAgnihotri, resident of the
same village, and four unidentifiedmen gangraped her, they said.

A case has been registered against five persons forallegedly
assaulting the Dalit woman, police said today.

Investigations are on in the case, they said, addingefforts are on to
nab the accused.

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[ZESTCaste] BSP MLA accused of raping minor Dalit girl arrested in Uttar Pradesh

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_bsp-mla-accused-of-raping-minor-dalit-girl-arrested-in-uttar-pradesh_1494121

BSP MLA accused of raping minor Dalit girl arrested in Uttar Pradesh
Published: Thursday, Jan 13, 2011, 21:11 IST
Place: Lucknow | Agency: PTI

A month after he allegedly raped a teenaged Dalit girl, absconding
ruling BSP MLA Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi was today arrested in Banda
district but the opposition dubbed it as "stage managed".

48-year-old Dwivedi, who represents the Naraini seat in the Uttar
Pradesh assembly, was on the run after orders for his arrest were
issued yesterday in connection with the alleged criminal assault on
the 17-year-old girl belonging to the backward community.

The legislator was arrested in Banda, about 220 kms from here, police
sources said.

"Ironically the MLA had been camping Lucknow for the past two days
meeting his BSP bosses when the state officials were making an
announcment that he would be arrested soon and went into hiding soon
after that," Vivek Singh, Congress MLA, claimed in Banda.

Sources claimed the MLA was arrested from Augasi bridge and later
brought to the Kotwali Dehat and would be produced in the court
tomorrow.

Congress spokesperson Subodh Srivastava alleged that Dwivedi was being
shielded by Mayawati government and it was only because of pressure
from visits by the delegations from Delhi including the National
Commission for Women that the state government was forced to arrest
the legislator.

The girl was allegedly raped on December 10-11 at the legislators's
residence. She escaped from the MLA's house on December 12 when the
MLA allegedly attempted rape for the third time and was arrested same
day on theft charges.

She told her brother about the incident when she was produced before
the court on December 24 in connection with theft charges.

Girl levelled the rape charge before the court on January 10 and it
ordered immediate action.

CB-CID submitted a preliminary report and subsequently the state
government yesterday ordered arrest of the MLA and an FIR was lodged
against him.

His two aides --Rajendra Shukla and Surendra Neta--were arrested in
Banda district yesterday following an FIR against them and were
remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by a Banda court. The third
accused Ravan Garg is still absconding.

In Lucknow, cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh, when faced with
a volley of questions from reporters on the whereabouts of the BSP
MLA, hinted that the legislator had been traced.

"There will be no need for you to ask this question. Give us a little
more time," he said.

He said that no one is being a clean chit including the policemen and
promised stern action will be taken against all those found guilty of
either the crime or of shielding the culprits.

UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna alleged the incident showed how the Mayawati
government has been protecting criminals.

In Delhi, Women and Child Development minister Krishna Tirath said she
would write to the Union Home Ministry for taking appropriate action.

BJP's Smriti Irani said, "It is appalling the way the Mayawati
administration tries to hide his crime." She demanded immediate
justice for the girl.

In Delhi, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the Mayawati government
should ensure that the MLA gets convicted and the theft case against
the girl is immediately withdrawn and she is freed.

Terming it as a face-saving exercise by the Mayawati government, state
BJP spokesman Vijay Pathak claimed that the the MLA had himself walked
into the police station.

Samajwadi Party spokespersonRajendra Chaudhary said the "whole drama"
was enacted due to mounting pressure.

Terming the arrest of MLA as well as his accomplice in crime as
inadequate, the leaders also demanded the immediate release of the
victim who is still in jail

Yesterday, a case of rape was registered against the MLA, suspended by
the party in the wake of the allegations, and his three aides in the
case after the state CBI-CID submitted its preliminary report in the
case.

"On the directive of the Chief Minister, a case of rape has been
registered against the MLA and his three aides," the Cabinet Secretary
had said.

He, however, said the theft charge on which the girl was arrested was
found to be true.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit doctor murder case: NCSC to serve notice to UP govt

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4818505

19/01/2011
Dalit doctor murder case: NCSC to serve notice to UP govt

Lucknow, Jan 19 (PTI) The National Commission for Scheduled Caste
today said it will serve a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a
complaint that the probe into the murder case of a dalit doctor here
was being "politicised".
"We have taken a note of a complaint alleging irregularities and
politicisation of the probe of dalit health officer Vinod Arya''s
murder. The complainant claimed some persons have been falsely
implicated in the case and real culprits are at large," NCSC Chairman
PL Punia told PTI over phone.
A team comprising NCSC officials would be formed to probe the matter, he said.
It has come to the notice of the Commission that those named in the
case were not involved in Arya''s murder and contrary to rules, the
matter is being probed by junior officials instead of DSP rank
officers, Punia said.
Arya, posted as chief medical officer (family welfare), was shot dead
at Vikas Nagar area on October 27 last year.
On December 12, police arrested Vijay Dubey and Ajay Mishra, allegedly
involved in Arya''s murder.
"The conspiracy to kill Arya was hatched by mafia don Abhay Singh, who
is currently lodged in Banda district jail," the then ADG Brij Lal had
said.
The Samajwadi Party, with which Abhay is associated, had submitted a
memorandum to Governor B L Joshi alleging that he was being framed in
the case.
Besides, a joint delegation of Faizabad unit of Congress, RLD and SP
had also submitted a joint memorandum to the Governor on the same
issue.

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[ZESTCaste] 3 held for Dwarka ‘honour killing’

http://www.dailypioneer.com/311504/3-held-for-Dwarka-%E2%80%98honour-killing%E2%80%99.html

3 held for Dwarka 'honour killing'
January 21, 2011 3:59:07 PM

Staff Reporter | New Delhi

Three persons, including two brothers, were arrested in south-west
Delhi on Monday for allegedly murdering a 20-year-old fruit seller at
the behest of a contractor who was against the victim's relationship
with his daughter. So far police have failed to recover the weapon
used in the suspected honour killing.

Upender alias Maski, who hailed from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, was
found dead with his throat slashed allegedly by his friends at their
rented accommodation in Shivani Enclave in Kakraula village of Dwarka
Sector 16B on January 13. Upender and his friends were sleeping
together and he was found dead the next morning by one of them.

"The deceased and his four friends were living in one of the rooms of
the contractor, who lives with his family on the same premises.
Upender started getting friendly with his daughter which was not liked
by the contractor and he hatched a plan to eliminate Upender," said
Sharad Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West).

Arrested persons have been identified as Vinod Kumar (25), Sonu (23)
and Mahesh (22). Kumar, who works as a helper in a local shop and
Sonu, a driver, are brothers while Mahesh also is a driver.

According to police, Vinod and Sonu hail from Siwan district in Bihar
whereas Mahesh is a native of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

"The contractor arranged a party and offered drinks and food to
Upender and his friends. On the evening of January 12, they had drinks
and food together. At that time the contractor was also present in
their room and they were watching cricket match. The deceased was not
used to watching cricket but on the said day he was watching cricket.
Once everybody had gone to sleep, the contractor with the help of
other accused persons slit Upender's throat using some sharp-edged
weapon," said DCP Aggarwal.

The contractor had promised the co-accused good money in helping him
to kill Upender. The police said the three accused confessed to their
crime and admitted that they were known to the contractor, who has
been arrested from Dwarka and identified as Ayub, 45.

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

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