Latest News Update: Jun 21, 2011

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Modi lauds Athawale for backing saffron alliance

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/modi-lauds-athawale-for-backing-saffron-alliance/731537.html

Modi lauds Athawale for backing saffron alliance
PTI | 09:06 PM,Jun 20,2011

Mumbai, Jun 20 (PTI) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today lauded
RPI leader Ramdas Athawale for supporting the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance
in Maharashtra. "Modi congratulated me and told me that it was a good
thing I was siding with them (saffron combine)," Athawale, who met the
Gujarat Chief Minister at Gandhinagar today, told PTI over phone. "He
said earlier RPI was part of UPA and was opposed to Sena-BJP and that
although late, it is better that we are with the Sena-BJP combine,"
Athawale said. Athawale said he told Modi about the difficulties faced
by the around 25 lakh people of Maharashtrian origin in Gujarat,
including Dalits, in procuring domicile certificate. The people hail
from places like Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar and parts of Vidarbha, he
said. "The Gujarat Chief Minister assured me that he would look into
the matter," he said. "Modi told us that the Gujarat government has
improved irrigation and agriculture. It has also started a "108
ambulance" scheme wherein an ambulance reaches rural areas within 10
to 15 minutes, free of charge," the RPI leader said, adding he would
take up the matter with Maharashtra Chief Minister for starting such a
service in the state.

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[ZESTCaste] Maya writes to PM about atrocities on dalits

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-15/lucknow/29661465_1_mirchpur-dalits-haryana-government

Maya writes to PM about atrocities on dalits
TNN Jun 15, 2011, 02.06am IST

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Mayawati on Tuesday launched a counter
offensive on the Congress party which has been most vocal in attacking
the CM over alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl in Nighasan,
Lakhimpur Kheri. She shot off a letter to the prime minister drawing
his attention towards the plights of dalits at Mirchpur, the Congress
ruled Haryana. She has questioned various national commissions who
have taken congnizance of criminal cases in UP but have turned a blind
eye towards atrocities on poor and women in Congress ruled states.Maya
has asked the PM to ensure justice for the victims of Mirchpur.

On April 21, 2010 two dalits were killed in Mirchpur and their houses
were set ablaze. Mayawati has said that why National Commission for
Scheduled Caste chairman P L Punia who is a also a resident of Haryana
overlooked the incident.

The plight of dalit victims of Mirchpur. Even after courts directions
to help dalit, nothing substantial has been done by the Haryana
government. The victims, instead of help, were caned by Haryana police
when they went to lodge a protest. The victims included women, elderly
and children.

The chief minister has also written that National Commission for Women
(NCW) has also not taken note of the plight of dalit women in
Mirchpur, whereas it reacted promptly when Congress lodged a false
complaint about harassment in Bhatta-Parsaul in UP. Similarly, the
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) came to UP for probe in almost
all the incidents of violence politicised by the Congress but it did
not visit Haryana. She also referred to the silence of the NHRC over
daylight murder of a journalist in Mumbai. This shows that NCSC, NHRC
and NCW are working like political parties and following the agenda
set up by the Congress.

Meanwhile, BSP spokesman said that the post-mortem report in Nighasan
incident has confirmed murder but ruled out rape. However, the
Opposition continue to describe the incident as rape. He pointed out
that in Banda rape case, CB-CID did a good job and cracked the case
following which the accused BSP MLA was sent to jail. Similarly, he
said, the government is confident that CB-CID will solve the case
soon. The state government has already taken action against 11
policemen and arrested three named in FIR. The three doctors who
conducted the first post-mortem have also been suspended for giving a
false report, he added.

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[ZESTCaste] UP: One more arrested in failed rape bid

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/up-one-more-arrested-in-failed-rape-bid/731388.html

UP: One more arrested in failed rape bid
PTI | 07:06 PM,Jun 20,2011

Lucknow, Jun 20 (PTI) One more youth has been arrested in connection
with the sexual assault and violence against a 14-year-old dalit girl
in Kannauj district, official sources said here today."Kuldeep (18),
who was absconding after the incident, has been arrested by the police
in Kannauj district," they said.A 14-year-old dalit girl suffered a
grievous eye injury after she was stabbed allegedly by two youths when
she resisted their attempt to rape her in Gursahaiganj area
here.According to the police, Dilip and Niranjan Yadav who also hail
from the victim's village, injured her eye with a sharp weapon while
trying to rape her in Gadwa Buzurg village last evening.While Niranjan
Yadav was arrested yesterday, two police personnel, including
sub-inspector Shiv Shanker Singh and constable Fakhruddin have been
suspended on charges of laxity.

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[ZESTCaste] 5 rapes in the last 48 hours

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/lucknow/5-rapes-in-the-last-48-hours/Article1-711816.aspx

5 rapes in the last 48 hours
HT Correspondent
Lucknow, June 21, 2011

In a sudden and unexplained spurt in crime in Uttar Pradesh, five
fresh cases of rape were reported since Sunday. On Sunday, a
35-year-old woman was allegedly raped and burnt alive in Etah while a
Dalit teenager was raped and killed in Gonda district. Another
12-year-old girl was raped and murdered
in Sitapur on Monday.

Reports of rape also came from Firozabad and Kanpur.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/HTEditImages/Images/21_06_11-metro-1b.jpg

This chain of incidents triggered angry outbursts from opposition
parties, with the Samajwadi Party dubbing the state "balatkari pradesh
(rapists' state)". Party president Akhilesh Yadav, from whose
parliamentary constituency one such incident had been reported
earlier, demanded a high-level probe into the incident.

In Etah district, 350 km west of Lucknow, five persons entered a
woman's house on Sunday night, took turns to rape her, and set her
afire. Special director general (law and order) Brij Lal said on
Monday three persons had been arrested in this case.

In Gonda district, 100 km east of Lucknow, a 12-year-old girl was
raped and killed. She had been missing since June 17. On Sunday, a
villager found her body in a sugarcane field.

Brij Lal said two of the accused have been arrested.

In the rape and murder case in Sitapur, 65 km north of Lucknow, no
arrests were made till the time of going to press.

In Firozabad, 290 km west of Lucknow, a 14-year-old girl was raped in
Sirsaganj village on Sunday night. An FIR has been registered and the
Sirsganj police station's station house officer has been suspended for
not registering the case.

In Kanpur, a woman claimed she was held captive in a hotel for three
days and gangraped, but the police denied it. In another case, a woman
was shot at when she resisted a rape attempt in Farrukhabad district,
200 km west of Lucknow.

She is in a serious condition in hospital.

And in Aligarh, a woman complained that a policeman outraged her
modesty in custody.

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

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit boy failed in fifth standard: Collector orders inquiry

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Dalit-boy-failed-in-fifth-standard-Collector-orders-inquiry/articleshow/8930938.cms

Dalit boy failed in fifth standard: Collector orders inquiry
TNN | Jun 21, 2011, 12.59am IST

MADURAI: The district collector U Sagayam on Monday ordered an enquiry
by the Inspector of matriculation schools, Madurai, into a complaint
submitted by a dalit boy alleging that his school had failed him in
violation of government norms.

In his petition, T Alageswaran (10) son of Thavamani, has said that he
was a student of the fifth standard in Maha Nursery and Primary
School, but was unable to attend school beyond the second term due to
family problems, which led to his mother leaving their home. He has
alleged that even after he went to school, the principal of the school
Lakshmi and another staff Babu humiliated him in front of the other
students. However, he had got a seat in a bigger school for the sixth
standard, through a friend of his father, but his previous school had
refused to give him the Transfer Certificate for the purpose. They had
demanded Rs 6680 as fees to hand over the TC. Hence a complaint was
lodged with the Pudur police who contacted the school and asked them
to hand over the TC to the student. But, the petitioner has alleged
that the school has failed to promote him to the sixth standard which
was against the government norms. EOM

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[ZESTCaste] Holding Dalit pradhan captive, man ran panchayat for seven months

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Holding-Dalit-pradhan-captive--man-ran-panchayat-for-seven-months/806534/

Holding Dalit pradhan captive, man ran panchayat for seven months

Manish Sahu Posted online: Tue Jun 21 2011, 02:53 hrs
Lucknow : When Laduram was elected pradhan of Semara Jamal Khanne
village in Gonda district in October last year, he thought it was a
rare honour for a Dalit like him. But the posting soon landed him in a
bondage he had never imagined.

Aninfluential man, Baboo Tiwari alias Rajesh Tiwari, who allegedly
sponsored Laduram's election, took him captive and virtually ran the
panchayat using the pradhan as a rubber stamp. The reason: Tiwari had
to recover Rs 6 lakh he had spent on Laduram's election.

After seven months in confinement, Laduram was finally freed on Sunday
on the intervention of Gonda District Magistrate Ram Bahadur after
Laduram's wife Kanti Devi lodged a complaint.

The police are conducting an inquiry, but have so far failed to trace Tiwari.

But the police have confirmed that Laduram had been staying at
Tiwari's residence for the last few months. They also said Tiwari was
running the show on Laduram's behalf.

"It is part of the inquiry to check whether Tiwari had forcibly
detained him," said Shashi Kant Mishra, Station Officer of Tarabganj
police station.

Kanti Devi and Laduram have alleged the police are trying to shield Tiwari.

Before the election, 47-year-old Laduram was working in Kanpur as a
labourer. Once when he visited his village after his father's death,
his brothers advised him to contest the election.

The village pradhan's post was reserved for Scheduled Castes and
Laduram's neighbour Tiwari offered to take care of his election
expenses.

In October, Laduram was declared elected. But one day, in early
November, when Laduram went to Tiwari's house to thank him, he was
forcibly detained. Tiwari allegedly told him that he had spent Rs 6
lakh on his election and had to recover his money. "Tiwari forced me
to work in his field and used to take my signatures on papers
regularly. Before releasing me, he took my signatures on plain
papers," said Laduram.

Kanti Devi said she was allowed to meet her husband twice a week when
he was working in Tiwari's fields. She said when she complained to the
police, they ignored her. Tiwari also threatened her, she said.

On Saturday, she finally complained to the DM. "I immediately asked
the circle officer to look into the matter," the DM said. As the
police started making inquiries, Tiwari set Laduram free.

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[ZESTCaste] Challenges of women in North India

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/books/article2122717.ece

Chennai, June 21, 2011
Challenges of women in North India
V. K. Natraj

Haryana is in the news these days, often for wrong reasons — for
barbaric punishments meted out by the traditional (Khap) Panchayats in
the name of justice, and for the highly unfavourable sex ratio, for
example. But the State ranks high in agricultural production.

In pre-Independence India, however, it was backward. How has the
transformation of Haryana from a deficit to a surplus State impacted
its culture and mores, especially insofar as they relate to women? How
'communal' is the State in terms of Hindu-Muslim conflict? Is there
evidence of a perceived threat among males in relation to legislation
that seeks to benefit women? These are the principal questions Prem
Chowdhry examines in this volume.

She discusses some cases of what are commonly referred to as 'communal
riots' against a wider backdrop and shows how they are often the
result of several factors, the most significant of which are claims to
and conflicts over land.

The paper, "Contours of Communalism: Religion, Caste and Identity in
South-East Punjab", where she analyses cases of the pre-Independence
years, creates a feeling of déjà vu, given the rash of communal
disturbances occurring today. Among the best in the volume, it shows
how religion came to be used as a cloak for furthering other
interests.
Challenges

Arguing that 'cow protection' continues to inflame passions, she
points out, with a sense of satisfaction and profound relief, how the
Bajrang Dal/VHP combine failed in its efforts to communalise the
issue.

The challenges that confronted the traditional structure of authority
stand out as Chowdhry's major concern. Some of the interesting
questions she raises relate to gender, property and inheritance rights
of women (particularly, widows), and the resistance of the patriarchal
society to any pro-women reform. She juxtaposes the property rights of
widows with the untiring efforts of the patriarchal system to exercise
control over their sexuality.

In a highly insightful piece, she looks at the way widows sought to
retain their hold over the deceased husband's property, defying the
common practice of levirate marriage and illustrates how some even
courted the label, 'unchaste' by living with a partner instead of
submitting to the levirate/karewa system. Also evident from her
studies is that men feel threatened whenever any law that seeks to
empower women is formulated or implemented. There is the case of the
Haryana Government trying to undo some of the progressive pro-women
features of the Hindu Succession Act through an amending legislation
in 1979. It fell through because the President withheld his assent.
Men's perceived threat is also behind much of resistance to any
attempt to reform the working of traditional institutions, such as
'caste Panchayats' that perpetuate the regressive age-old practices.
'Khap' Panchayat

All the findings and discussion on these issues are particularly
relevant now, when 'Khap Panchayats' have invited the wrath of the
Supreme Court for endorsing what are called 'honour killings'. There
is also the distinct possibility of the male perception of threat
getting reinforced by the sustained efforts being made to create more
political space for women by, for example, reserving seats for them in
Parliament.

The contradictions noticed in rural society — subtle and sometimes not
so subtle — also get reflected in the way women are treated. The paper
on the cultural centrality of the ghunghat brings this out very well.
Women participate fully in the labour force. Yet, while it is the done
thing for men to get urbanised and take to habits associated with that
way of life, women are enjoined to "guard" the culture. The paper with
a rather evocative title "First Our Jobs, then Our Girls" explores the
complex dynamics of Dalit-non-Dalit relations. She makes the point
that state agencies do not intervene to uphold the law when Dalits are
the targets of violence.

Rich in content and critical in analysis, this is a recommended read
for academics as well as lay students interested in understanding
Indian society. Finally, one is pleased to come across a book that is
copy-edited well, a rarity these days.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits perform rituals with Brahmins

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/dalits-perform-rituals-with-brahmins-1.824314

Dalits perform rituals with Brahmins

Mingling with upper castes an 'out-of-this-world experience', women say

IANS
Published: 00:00 June 21, 2011
Gulf News

Varanasi: Some 200 Dalit women from Rajasthan Monday took part in a
ceremony which they never thought they would see in their lifetime —
performing rituals with upper caste Hindus at the Vishwanath temple.

Amidst ecstatic shouts of 'Har Har Gange', the women also took a dip
in the Ganga and chanted hymns along the Dashashwamedh Ghat, deemed to
be the most pious bank.

"We never thought we would get an opportunity to celebrate our liberty
like this... For decades, we have faced hatred and discrimination. As
we mingled with the upper caste, we got the feel of being liberated,"
Shanti Chaumaria, a garbage collector of over two decades, told IANS.

Feeling empowered

While the Vishwanath temple does not bar Dalits from offering prayers,
the women considered performing rituals with Brahmins an act of
empowerment.

"It's an out-of-this world experience for us. We want to stay here as
long as we can. This day will remain memorable for us. We now feel we
have really joined the mainstream," said Guddi, who worked as a
garbage collector for 10 years.

"Sharing a platform with the upper-caste is really a privilege."

Sulabh International, a social service organisation, organised the
programme and flew in the women from Rajasthan.

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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Caste in Urdu Prose Literature

http://kafila.org/2011/06/13/caste-in-urdu-prose-literature-ajmal-kamal/

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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Karamchedu Committee Report APCLC [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from Siddhartha Kumar included below]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: sampangi shanker <sampangishnkr03@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 1:25 PM
Subject: {DIET} Fwd: Karamchedu Committee Report APCLC
To: dalit-information-n-education-trust@googlegroups.com

Hi

this is Karamchedu committee Report

http://www.unipune.ac.in/snc/cssh/HumanRights/05%20STATE%20AGRICULTURE%20FOREST%20DALITS%20AND%20TRIBALS/08.pdf
--

Shankar Sampangi

--

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Attachment(s) from Siddhartha Kumar

1 of 1 File(s)

Karamchedu Committe Report.pdf

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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: PM denies existence of scavenging!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shiva Shankar <sshankar@cmi.ac.in>
Date: Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 9:08 AM
Subject: PM denies existence of scavenging!
To:

Everywhere across the coutry, wherever there is a railway station,
people are cleaning shit from the tracks with the most primitive
equipment imaginable, and the prime minister of the country denies its
existence!
-------------------

"... On manual scavenging, the NAC appears disappointed: The NAC
sources said that despite a letter written by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh to Ms. Gandhi that manual scavenging had been tackled, the
feedback the council had received was that it still existed in many
places. ..."

The Hindu

NAC to discuss land acquisition, relief and rehabilitation

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2046198.ece

Smita Gupta

The other issues are: ICDS, manual scavenging, legal rights for street vendors

Heading the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC)'s agenda
on Wednesday will be land acquisition, relief and rehabilitation. On
the table will be a detailed note prepared by the Working Group (WG)
on land acquisition that not only goes beyond the pending government
Bills on the subject, but also recommends that the two be merged into
a single National Development, Acquisition, Displacement and
Rehabilitation Act.

The NAC sources told The Hindu that Wednesday's discussion will first
try and resolve the differences within the WG on the issue. These
relate to the role of the government in land acquisition. One view is
that the government must be proactive when the land to be acquired
belongs to the poor and vulnerable; the other view is that it should
be left to market forces, with the government playing a regulatory
role. The Council, however, hopes to achieve a consensus on Wednesday,
so that Ms Gandhi's promise at the United Progressive Alliance
celebration dinner on May 22 to bring the Bill on land acquisition to
Parliament in the next session can be kept.

The other three issues relate to reform of the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS), a follow up on an earlier attempt to push
the government to end the scourge of manual scavenging, and legal
rights for street vendors.

On manual scavenging, the NAC appears disappointed: The NAC sources
said that despite a letter written by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
Ms. Gandhi that manual scavenging had been tackled, the feedback the
council had received was that it still existed in many places. The NAC
therefore now wants joint surveys to be conducted to establish that
manual scavenging has, indeed, ended, and will also press for a strong
law to deal with it.

The NAC will also propose a law for the Protection of Livelihood
Rights and Social Security of Street Vendors, as they number about 10
million across the country. The NAC note points out that while the
National Policy on Street Vendors has provided some relief, it is
rarely implemented because it lacks legal enforceability, and
therefore the urgent need for a law.

The sources added that it was likely that two more Working Groups
might be set up – one on gender and the sex ratio, and another on
rights for Dalits, that would include a look at the Special Component
Plan as well as implementation of the SC/ST Atrocity Act.

The need for a WG on gender and the sex ratio was acute, the NAC
sources said, as the 2011 Census revealed that there were 7.1 million
fewer girls than boys aged 0-6 years, a substantial increase in the
gap of 6 million fewer girls recorded in the 2001 census and 4.2
million fewer girls recorded in the 1991 census.

As for the disagreement on land acquisition among the among the WG
members -- Harsh Mander, Aruna Roy and N.C. Saxena, it centres round
one major issue. Dr. Saxena feels the government should acquire land
for private companies as otherwise, they would exploit unorganised,
small and particularly tribal cultivators and pay them a pittance,
depriving them of R&R benefits. The alternate view is for-profit
private companies must work within the market, and pay enough to
land-holders for them to voluntarily sell their land, thus preventing
unnecessary displacement. As for exploitation, it should be addressed
by strict State regulation of this interface.

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