Sunday, January 29, 2012

[ZESTCaste] 30 dalit houses burnt but culprits not arrested after a week

 

30 dalit houses burnt but culprits not arrested after a week

Khuturam Sunani is telling us about 30 dalit homes being destroyed in a fire last week in village Lathor, district Bolangir in Odisha. It is alleged that a long existing feud between two groups came to a head through a seemingly innocuous fight at a shop. Apparently the incident of burning the homes was planned in advance. Now 30 families are camping in a makeshift arrangement in a local school. Many people have run away to save their lives. For more Sunani ji can be reached at 09437657625

http://www.cgnetswara.org/index.php?id=9052

regards

Swara moderators team


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[ZESTCaste] Punjab polls: Dalit self-pride holds key in fertile Doaba

 

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-26/india/30666424_1_dalit-chamar-doaba

Punjab polls: Dalit self-pride holds key in fertile Doaba
Sachin Parashar, TNN Jan 26, 2012, 04.37AM IST

(Doaba, where Punjab's 29% Dalit community swells to 35%, is
witnessing a social churning like never before, with the dalits
asserting themselves socially, culturally and even politically.)

JALANDHAR: Hummer wich aounde putt chamaran de (chamar kids arrive in
Hummer), panga na le chamara de nal (don't get into a fight with
chamars), Ravidassan di chandi (Ravidasis are doing great) and fighter
chamar are some of the songs which the fertile Doaba region in Punjab
is grooving to as it goes to polls next week. Until not so long ago,
it was yaari jattan di, tu jatt di pasand and jatt di daang, songs
which became popular even outside the state.

It's not that the mighty Jatts (Jat Sikhs) have stopped singing and
dancing. Just that Doaba, where Punjab's 29% Dalit community swells to
35%, is witnessing a social churning like never before, with the
dalits asserting themselves socially, culturally and even politically.
Punjab has one the highest dalit population in the country.

It's perhaps appropriate that in a state which loves to sing and
dance, the assertion is manifesting in music, says dalit folk singer
Kulwant Kajla. ''You will be surprised to know that the demand for
such songs is not just restricted to Doaba and Punjab but also
abroad,'' he says, adding that he will soon come out with his own
chamar album.

Kajla, whose song param sant Ravidasa was a chartbuster, should know.
Kajla was one of the few singers who helped introduced dalit machismo
in Punjabi songs in 2008-09 to counter Jat Sikhs. "Some people had
reservations initially but soon they joined us when they realized that
there was nothing to be ashamed of in being a dalit,'' he adds. It's
not uncommon now to spot vehicles, especially two-wheelers, with
stickers saying putt chamaran da.

Kajla is a follower of Jalandhar-based Dera Sachkhand which claims to
have millions of followers spread all across the globe. In the UK
alone, it is said to have 26 Ravidasa temples. Its guru is none other
than Sant Niranjan Dass who was attacked by a group of extremist
Sikhs, allegedly Jat, in Vienna in 2009. Another guru, Sant Ramanand,
was killed in the attack, though. It was this attack in the Austrian
capital which laid the foundation for dalits seeking a more assertive
cultural and political identity. In just a few months music became the
most powerful tool to galvanize the youths who responded by abandoning
the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book. The movement gained further
momentum in 2010 when Sant Niranjan Dass announced a new holy book for
Ravidasis called Amrit Bani.

Doaba also accounts for the maximum number of NRIs from Punjab who
helped their family members in the region by sending them money
regularly. It is also not uncommon to see dalits living in mansions
and driving luxury cars.

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[ZESTCaste] AIIMS experts arrive to assist in Dalit girl rape case

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/aiims-experts-arrive-to-assist-in-dalit-girl-rape-case/957102.html

AIIMS experts arrive to assist in Dalit girl rape case
PTI | 02:01 PM,Jan 28,2012

Bhubaneswar, Jan 28 (PTI) A team of experts from All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has reached Odisha to assist in Pipili
Dalit girl rape and attempted murder case on the invitation of the
state Crime Branch police. The four-member team, headed by Professor
and Head of Forensic Medicine Department, has experts from areas of
gynaecology, DNA and FMT, a senior official of Crime Branch of police
said. "The team members conducted examination of the alleged rape
victim from Pipili in Puri district who is undergoing treatment at the
ICU of SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack," the official said.
The examination, conducted for medico-legal purpose, would be useful
in the investigation into the alleged rape and attempted murder of the
19-year-old Dalit girl, crime branch sources said adding the team
would give its report in due course. As part of its probe, Crime
Branch police have already conducted polygraph tests on all the four
accused persons allegedly involved in the sensational case which had
triggered state-wide outcry and led to the resignation of Pipili MLA
Pradip Maharathy as state agriculture minister. The four accused
persons on whom lie detection test was conducted in two phases are:
Prasanta Pradhan alias Pasei, Sukanta Pradhan alias Abua, Premananda
Nayak and Buna Swain. The four youths who had been taken to CB custody
in different phases for interrogation are now lodged in a sub-jail in
Nimapada. The four were accused in the rape and attempt to murder of
the Dalit girl of Arjungada village in Pipili Police Station area of
Puri district on November 28, 2011. Though the girl's family moved
Pipli police station next day on November 29, the officer-in-charge
concerned refused to receive the complaint which later lead to his
dismissal from service. The police finally registered a case on
January 9, 2012 after a direction from State Human Rights Commission.
The victim girl, in a semi-coma stage, is struggling for survival at
SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack. PTI SKN AMD AMD

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit panchayat chief prevented from hoisting the tricolour

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/article2840615.ece

PUDUKOTTAI, January 29, 2012
Dalit panchayat chief prevented from hoisting the tricolour
M. Balaganessin

A. Kalaimani, a Dalit woman village panchayat president of Karu
Vadatheru village panchayat near Vadakadu, was allegedly prevented
from hoisting the tricolour on the Republic Day by a group of caste
Hindus.

The group belonging to the Kallar community, led by Kumar, son of
Rangammal, who is the vice-president of the village panchayat,
allegedly pushed aside Ms. Kalaimani when she was about to hoist the
national flag on the village panchayat office campus.

The village panchayat president told The Hindu on Saturday that she
planned to hoist the tricolour at three places – the village panchayat
office campus; Raja Kudiyiruppu, a residential colony; and the
panchayat union primary school at Kanniyankollai.

But, in view of the problem at the village panchayat office, she
allowed the group to hoist the flag at the school and cancelled her
programme at the residential colony.

She has lodged a complaint with the Vadakadu police and submitted
petitions to District Collector B. Maheswari and Superintendent of
Police R. Tamil Chandran.

Ms. Kalaimani said that she had alerted the police a week ago, seeking
protection for the smooth conduct of the celebrations. To her
surprise, no police personnel were deployed in time.

Police sources said that the matter was under investigation.

The district wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly
condemned the police for not registering a case against those who
prevented the Dalit president from hoisting the tricolour.

Led by M. Balasundaramurthy, union secretary of the CPI (M), they
staged a demonstration in front of the police station at Vadakadu
demanding immediate action. M. Chinnadurai, district secretary of the
party, was among those who participated.


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[ZESTCaste] SP Superemo plays the Dalit card

 

http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/lucknow/37570-sp-superemo-plays-the-dalit-card.html

SP Superemo plays the Dalit card

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 21:51
Faisal Fareed | Lucknow

After the freebies, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam played dalit
card during his election meetings at Ambedkar Nagar and Faizabad
district on Tuesday.
Realising that Ambedkarnagar is a stronghold of Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP) which won all the five assembly segments in 2007, Mulayam
touched the dalit atrocities issues in his address at Ambedkar Nagar.

"They claim that people are anti dalit when they critcise BSP. But
dalits have been at the maximum receiving end during BSP regime. They
have been the target of atrocities and their pleas remained unheard,"
said Mulayam. The SP supremo Mulayam stated that the government did
nothing for the welfare of dalits. "It was engaged only in erecting
stone statues and counting money. No other welfare scheme was
launched," he said.

Mulayam stated that he would have been more than happy if dalits were
satisfied. "If their work was being done I would have been happy but
BSP government exploited them," he said. The SP chieftain claimed that
BSP ministers were involved in raping dalit women.

"You all have a big challenge, you have to change the government. So
fulfill this responsibility," he said.

Mulayam even challenged the audience to recall any welfare scheme
launched by BSP. "If you cannot recall now then write it down and send
it to me," he said in a sarcastic tone.

Besides, this Mulayam also announced that farmers will be given loan
at four percent interest. "I too belong to a farmer's family and very
well understand the things. They will be given subsidised loan. Loans
upto Rs 50000 will be waived off, farmer's land will not be
auctioned," he said. He also mentioned his promise of tablet for every
Class X pass student and laptop to every Class XII pass student.

Mulayam also repeated his promises of free education, free medicines
and free power to weavers will be provided during SP regime. "We have
to bridge the gap between rich and poor. Unemployment allowance, Kanya
Vidya Dhan and free uniforms to girl students were also announced by
Mulayam.

Realising that image of his previous government was tarnished due to
anarchy and hoolingism, Mulayam assured that there will be no room for
rowdy elements in his government. "Such elements even if they have
links will not be spared. They will either be in jail or thrown out of
state," he said.

Mulayam also mentioned the the suicide by Jal Nigam engineer Sunil
Verma in Lucknow. "His death is still mysterious. His family members
are still not sure about his cause of death. It may be a murder but no
one has been arrested," he said.

Mulayam also addressed an election meeting at Faizabad on Tuesday. The
only new thing being that Mulayam announced formation of a commission
to probe the corruption charges against Chief Minister Mayawati in a
stipulated three months time. "Central agencies are probing the
corruption cases but it is lingering. I will constitute a commission
to investigate all these matters and submit its report within three
months time," he said.

The Ambedkar Nagar meeting drew good crowd while the Faizabad meeting
of Mulayam could manage few thousands only.

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[ZESTCaste] Drunk men blamed for desecration

 

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/drunk-men-blamed-desecration-789

Drunk men blamed for desecration

January 29, 2012
DC
Rajahmundry

After a five-day manhunt, the police on Saturday said that it has
arrested three youths on charges of their involvement in desecration
and destruction of the statues of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar at
Amalapuram in East Godavari.

Additional director general of police T. Krishna Raju told newsmen at
Amalapuram that the arrested youths, Vakapalli Durga Babu, 20,
Kanch-ipalli Anji Babu, 19, and Mandori Anil, 19. perpetrated the
heinous crime.

Mr Raju said that the trio consumed liquor in an open site belonging
to one Gandham Pallam Raju in the town in the late hours of January
22. The intoxicated trio, riding a motorcycle, went on a spree of
desecrating the destroying the statues of Dr B.R. Ambedkar for more
than two hours in the wee hours of January 23, the additional DGP
said.

The trio targeted the statues at Bandivaripeta, Rollapalem,
Chindadaga-ruvu and at Black Bridge, he said, adding that they broke
the idol at Chindadaguruvu and dumped it in a canal.

They also desecrated the statue of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi
at Kurasala Veedhi and escaped, Mr Raju said, adding that they also
damaged the poster of actor Mahesh Babu at SKBR College in the town.

The additional DGP revealed that the accused confessed to the crime
during interrogation.
Mr Raju said, "It is spur of the moment act, under the influence of
liquor. There is no any other motive behind it and it cannot be
considered as an organised crime, based on findings of preliminary
inquiry."

The trio were booked under Sections 295 (deliberate and malicious act
to outrage religious feelings), 427 (causing damage to public
property) and 153 A (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of
language, religion) of the IPC. They were also booked under Section 3
of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and Section 71 D of
the Criminal Law Amendm-ent Act.

The police also named 10 more suspects over their involvement in the
case and said that attempts are on to nab them.

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[ZESTCaste] Four-year-old Dalit girl raped in Karad

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2840603.ece

Pune, January 29, 2012
Four-year-old Dalit girl raped in Karad
Amruta Byatnal

A four-year-old Dalit girl was raped by a 17-year-old Maratha boy in
Karad's Kathavli village on Friday, police said on Saturday.

The girl, admitted to the Satara civil hospital, is out of danger. The
boy was sent to the remand home in Satara to be kept under
observation, police inspector Barkhat Mujawar said. This is the second
incident of atrocity on a Dalit in Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's
hometown Karad in under a month.

Earlier this month, a Dalit woman Rekha Chavan was beaten up and
paraded in Mulgaon village in Karad, as her son had allegedly eloped
with a Maratha girl.

In the Kathavli incident, police arrested the boy late on Friday
evening. He has been booked under Section 375 (rape) of the Indian
Penal Code, as also the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, (1989). He was produced in court on Saturday.

Mr. Mujawar said the parents claimed that the boy, a ninth standard
student, was "mentally unstable" and undergoing treatment since the
age of 10. "Two doctors have been appointed at the remand home to
attend to him," he said.


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[ZESTCaste] Corruption and its Impact on Dalits: An Indian Panorama

http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=103093

Corruption and its Impact on Dalits: An Indian Panorama


"A Society without Justice generates Corruption" says Bishop Thomas K. Oommen

"The ocean of corruption that has engulfed human beings and especially
the Indian society is the result of the absence of the value of
justice in the society. Dalits are the ones who are affected severely
by this phenomenon of blatant corruption in India. Only prophetic
voices and effective programmes can change this scenario", so said Rt.
Rev. Thomas K. Oommen, the Bishop in CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese. He
raised these important points while he was inaugurating the two- day
long seminar on "Corruption and its Impact on Dalits: An Indian
Panorama" held at the CSI Retreat Centre, Kottayam on 20th and 21st of
January 2012. This Seminar was organised by the Commission on Dalits
in NCCI in partnership with the Dalit Desk of the CSI Madhya Kerala
Diocese. Kerala Council of Churches also extended its association with
this seminar.

Rev. Dr. P. B. M. Basaiawmoit, the Vice President of the NCCI, who
chaired the inaugural function, pointed out the fact that the
discussion about corruption has been narrowed down to monetary
corruption and thus fails to address the multifaceted issues related
with it. He said that this seminar will aim at making the voices of
the marginalised heard within the national discussion about corruption
in India.

Advocate Suresh Koshy, the Treasurer of the NCCI, suggested that it is
high time that certain strong steps are taken to combat corruption
which ultimately adversely affects the Dalits in India. Prof. George
Jacob, the Lay Secretary of CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese, looked forward
to a stronger partnership of the diocese with the NCCI in this matter.
Prof. Philip N. Thomas, the Secretary of the Kerala Council of
Churches, highlighted the KCC's engagement in the Chengara land
struggle. He pointed out that unequal distribution of land is also a
serious form of corruption. Earlier Rev. Sunil Raj Philip, the
Executive Secretary of the Commission on Dalits, welcomed the
gathering and drew attention to the concerns of the Seminar.

Mr. Madhu Chandra, an activist based in Delhi, presented a paper on
"Corruption: An Inclusive Perspective". In this presentation he raised
questions like "Is monetary corruption the only challenge in India
which Team Anna is concerned about? What about socio-religious
corruption in relation to caste? What about ensuring affirmative
action for marginalised people in corporate establishments? What about
the failure of the state to fight communalism against minorities,
marginalised people, and the rise of fascism?"

Dr. Meera Velayudhan, a Policy Analyst with Centre for Environment &
Social Concerns (CESC), Ahmedabad, presented her paper on "Ending
Corruption: Thoughts on Way Forward". She suggested that any
discussion on evolving effective responses to addressing corruption
needs to consider the complex set of issues: Dalits as the ones who
are at the receiving end of the adverse effects of corruption; gender
discrimination as corruption; and caste itself as corruption. It may
involve wider and varied levels of debate but can only strengthen the
initiative that this seminar has already set in motion.

Rev. Dr. P. B. M. Basaiawmoit suggested, in his presentation titled
"The Church and Corruption: its Impact on Dalits and other
Marginalised People", that corruption poses a serious developmental
challenge. The biblical prophets encourage us to be suspicious of
concentration of wealth and power. Churches should have serious
introspection whether they are becoming this kind of arena of
concentration of wealth, which ultimately makes the marginalised
people more marginalised and vulnerable.

Dr. Simon John, the Vice-President of the KCC, presented a paper on
"Corruption and Dehumanisation of Dalits as a Cultural Malady". He
highlighted the fact that the struggle against corruption should go
on. The ways in which corruption adversely affects the Dalits should
be opposed to prevent the dehumanising cultural hegemony of the
corrupt upper caste people.

After each presentation, there was ample time allotted for discussion.
On the second day, after the presentations were over, delegates were
divided into three groups for further discussions. In the plenary
session, group leaders presented their findings, which were added to
the communiqué. Very relevant findings, such as the anti-Dalit
Christian reservation moves are 'constitutional corruption', and the
translations of the Bible into various vernacular languages in India
knowingly or unknowingly support the caste system in India, came up
from the group discussions.

In the afternoon of the final day, the Kerala Council of Churches
honoured the delegates of the seminar, who came down to Kottayam from
various states of India, by giving mementoes. The draft committee
presented the communiqué. In the vote of thanks Rev. Sunil Raj Philip
assured the participants that the Commission on Dalits in the National
Council of Churches in India will publish the papers and the
communiqué for wider awareness of, and commitment to the cause of the
Dalits.

Rev. Sunil Raj Philip
Executive Secretary
Commission on Dalits


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[ZESTCaste] Dalit Christians living in fear after attack

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article2840643.ece

Bangalore, January 29, 2012
Dalit Christians living in fear after attack
Mohit M. Rao

Nearly 20 days after a group of men attacked a gathering of Dalit
Christians in Kooguru village, near Sarjapur, the handful of Dalit
Christians in the village now live in fear of being ostracised.

Ever since the nine-member group barged into the house of Puttamma
when she was celebrating her son Suresh Babu's 25th birthday on
January 9 night, the four Dalit Christian families, mostly daily wage
workers, in this 300-household village have been receiving explicit
threats.

The attack, which left 10 persons — including a pastor — injured, has
largely gone unnoticed by the media. The attackers, who allegedly came
from Sarjapur town 6 km away, fled when the commotion attracted other
villagers.

"We have been threatened by a few in our village who said they would
cut off water supply from our homes and seek the removal of our names
from the ration card list," Ms. Puttamma told The Hindu on Saturday.
She herself was hit on the leg when she tried to stop the men
attacking the pastor.

Narayanamma, who was present in the house during the attack, said:
"Some villagers have also asked people not to employ us in their
farms. I haven't found work in some time."

None of these families even contemplate moving out. "This is my home.
We have no other place to go," Ms. Puttamma said.

Even though the village had not seen violence against their community
for some time — villagers recall an incident around eight years ago
where a Christian woman was forced to perform Hindu rituals and burn
of copies of the Bible. A Hindu shopkeeper, on condition of anonymity,
said that around four years ago she was threatened with dire
consequences after she was found reading the Bible.

Anatomy of the attack

It was around 11 p.m. that the group of about 20 people, after dinner,
knelt on the floor to sing religious songs. According to pastor S.
Shantakumar of the protestant church, Agape Prayer Hall in Anekal,
everyone was in prayer barring two uninvited guests. "They had told
[Ms.] Puttamma they had come for the prayer, but I could see that they
were constantly fiddling with their phones," said the pastor. He
suspects that these two sent messages to others, who barged in at the
end of the second song.

Grabbing whatever they could — curtain rods, brooms, even a keyboard
in the house — the men assaulted those gathered, tearing down pictures
of Jesus Christ put up on the walls, hurling abuses at the pastor,
asking him to "stop conversions".

Out on bail

Some victims recognised one of the gang members as being from
Sarjapur, which led to the arrest of one person. Five surrendered
before the court and three others remain absconding. The six men are
currently out on bail, a fact the victims are unaware of.

Police officials investigating the case said though they believe the
men were not connected to any organisation, they have been earlier
named in cases involving attacks on those transporting cattle.


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[ZESTCaste] BJP Dalit leaders to visit Amalapuram

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-dalit-leaders-to-visit-amalapuram/225174-60-114.html

Andhra Pradesh | Posted on Jan 29, 2012 at 09:04am IST
BJP Dalit leaders to visit Amalapuram
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

HYDERABAD: A delegation of state BJP Dalit Morcha will tour Amalapuram
and Dowleswarm in East Godavari district where the statues of
Constitution Drafting Committee chairman BR Ambedkar have been damaged
by miscreants recently.

BJP state president G Kishan Reddy formed a delegation to be led by
Dalit leader Ch Samba Murthy, Dalit Morcha state president K Ramulu
and some BJP leaders.

The delegation will visit Amalapuram and Dowleswaram, near
Rajahmundry, and interact with all sections of Dalits and prepare a
report for submission to the BJP state committee.

Samba Murthy said home minister Sabita Indra Reddy should resign
forthwith, owning up moral responsibility for the demolition of
statues. He demanded arrest of the real culprits and registration of
cases under stringent law. He also demanded installation an Ambedkar
statue on the Assembly premises.

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[ZESTCaste] Statue desecration:Gadar meets CM, demands probe

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/statue-desecrationgadar-meets-cm-demands-probe/225170-60-114.html

Andhra Pradesh | Posted on Jan 29, 2012 at 09:03am IST
Statue desecration:Gadar meets CM, demands probe
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

HYDERABAD: Accusing the government of failure to arrest those
responsible for damaging the statues of Ambedkar in East Godavari
district, Dalit leaders and students have demanded a comprehensive
inquiry into the incident for facts to come out.

They called upon people to make the proposed state bandh on January 30
a success. A delegation led by balladeer Gadar met chief minister N
Kiran Kumar Reddy at the Secretariat on Friday and urged him to take
necessary steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents. There was a
need to provide protection to the statues of great Indian leaders,
they said.

Talking to newsmen later, Gadar said a round table would be held at
Sundarayya Vignana Kendram at Baghlingampally on Sunday to finalise a
programme to prevent attacks on the statues of Ambedkar. Leaders of
various political parties have been invited to the conference.�
Professor Kancha Ilaiah and several students of Osmania University
also demanded protection of Ambedkar statues.

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[ZESTCaste] Who killed Suvarna?

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Who-killed-Suvarna/905010/

Who killed Suvarna?
Johnson T A Posted: Jan 29, 2012 at 0326 hrs
Bangalore School girls in bright red uniforms troop down the slope in
groups of threes and fours in Koppa, the fertile sugarcane town in
southern Karnataka's agricultural district of Mandya. A teenage boy on
a motorcycle does the dim-and-dip with his headlights, the equivalent
of a wink, as he passes the girls on his way up the slope in what
seems to be a strut on a motorcycle.

"Television and mobile phones have ruined our children," says
55-year-old Chanappa, a sugarcane farmer who has hitched a 14-km ride
with me to Koppa from the highway. Through the ride, Chanappa refuses
to get drawn into any conversation relating to the November 6, 2011
death of Suvarna Ramakrishna, a 20-year-old Vokkaliga girl in
Abalavadi village, two km from Koppa town.

Chanappa, a Vokkaliga, knows about the death and is willing to point
me in the direction of Abalavadi but won't talk about what he has
heard about the death of Suvarna, daughter of a former Abalavadi
headman and local leader Davalana Ramakrishna.

Love and romance are not good words these days in Mandya despite the
mass of images they bring to life through cinema and the media. Caught
in the 120-km cleft between the modern Karnataka cities of Bangalore
and Mysore, the district of Mandya and its people continue to cope
with a feudal mindset and caste hierarchies even as their youth
attempt feebly to break out.

Every month, there are dozens of cases of couples approaching the
district police for protection against their family members, says
Mandya's young superintendent of police Kaushalendra Kumar. A week
ago, he says, the family of a girl engaged to be married burnt down
the house of a boy she was in a relationship with after the boy sent
an SMS to the parents professing his love and claiming her hand in
marriage. "It was a same caste relationship," he says.

What happened in Abalavadi village on November 6, 2011 is, however, a
far cry from what has ever been reported in recent times from
Karnataka.

Two months after she died, under what was until now considered to be a
case of suicide, the case that emerges is that of an honour killing,
with Suvarna's father and her extended family allegedly killing her
for her insistence on marrying Govindaraju, a 25-year-old who belongs
to the Scheduled Caste of Madigas.

The lid was blown off on January 5 when Govindaraju's family, who was
on the run after Suvarna's death, filed an FIR with the police naming
the girl's father and members of her extended family.

The Koppa and Mandya police who bought into the suicide story earlier
have now found prima facie evidence to show that there was a murder on
November 6, 2011 and not a suicide. "We have witnesses and we have
some of the remains of the body. Prima facie it does seem like a case
of murder," says the Mandya superintendent of police.

***

The Vokkaligas, land owners and the dominant community in Mandya
region, are by nature feudal, rustic, hot headed and in-your-face.
Beneath the veneer of coarseness, most people are simple too.
Suvarna's father, Davalana Ramakrishna, 46, according to descriptions
provided by people in Abalavadi, was the archetypal Vokkaliga—proud,
upwardly mobile, one of the 12 village wise men, a large landholder
who held the right to kick-start pujas at the temple on festival days
and a leader of the local unit of the Janata Dal Secular, considered
the political party of the Vokkaligas. "Davalana is a feared man in
the village, an authority and a landlord. He had two children, both of
whom are gone now. A son committed suicide a couple of years ago when
he was 18 after a fight with the father and Suvarna died last year,"
says a resident of the village.

Villagers say Davalana doted on Suvarna. "She was a quiet girl who
kept to herself. She was mostly home-bound. Just a few days before her
death, she was engaged to a Vokkaliga boy from another village. They
were to marry 15 days later. We don't know the details of what
happened after that. We heard she was seen with a Dalit boy," says
Narasimhachar, an Abalavadi resident and gram panchayat member.

According to details pieced together from various accounts of what
happened at Abalavadi on November 6, it seems that Suvarna had been in
love since her high school days with Govindaraju, who worked in the
village and lived in a Dalit colony.

Around August 2011, the families of both Suvarna and Govindaraju seem
to have got wind of their affair and while Suvarna was pulled out of
college by her father, Govindaraju was sent away to work in another
village by his older brother K Thimappa. Davalana also arranged for
her marriage to a Vokkaliga boy from a neighbouring village .

The story goes that Suvarna set up a rendezvous with Govindaraju at a
public spot a little outside the village on the afternoon of November
6 to plan an elopement but was spotted by her fiancé who alerted her
father and his family.

According to the police complaint filed by Govindaraju's brother
Thimappa on January 5 this year, Suvarna's family dragged the boy and
the girl back to Abalavadi village from their rendezvous point at
Arasinagere gate.

According to the FIR, Suvarna was taken to the house of one of
Davalana's relatives, Lallegowda, and thrashed there while Govindaraju
was sent back to his home after a beating, only to be dragged to
Lallegowda's house.

While she was being beaten up, Suvarna insisted that she would only
marry Govindaraju and that it was she who wanted to meet him that day,
Govindaraju told the police in a statement last week when he briefly
emerged out of hiding. An enraged Davalana, according to the police
complaint, directed his relatives to "hang this girl who is insistent
on marrying a Madiga".

Police investigators say they believe Suvarna probably died after the
thrashing from her father at her relative's house but her body was
dragged to Govindaraju's house and strung up on a rope to make it seem
like a suicide in the lover's home.

Govindaraju, who was kept waiting outside his house while Suvarna's
body was being strung up, says he feared he would be next and fled,
leaving his mother and two sisters-in-law behind as witnesses.

"Suvarna and I were in love but our families were opposed to it due to
our castes. I am a Dalit and she is a Gowda. Her parents got her
engaged. She had my phone number and kept calling me, asking me to
elope with her. She said she wanted to see me just once and I agreed,"
Govindaraju said in his statement to the police.

Police investigations have revealed that Suvarna's body was cremated
in the village under the cover of darkness on the evening of November
6. The story that went out said she had committed suicide.

According to the police complaint filed by Govindaraju's brother on
January 5, Davalana and his family "threatened to burn down houses and
to kill anybody who dared to speak the truth about his daughter's
death".

***

Despite the turn of events, Abalavadi and its majority Vokkaliga
community remain in denial.

"There was no affair between Davalana Ramakrishna's daughter and the
Madiga boy. She did not die at the boy's house. She committed suicide
at her home that day because she was suffering from stomach cramps.
Davalana was in Bangalore that day and they had to wait for him to
return for the cremation, that's why it was done after dark," says
Thimaraju, 48, a local farmer. "Those Madiga boys were contract
farming on two plots of land in the village and ran up debts. That's
why they ran away from the village," he says.

"It is Davalana who is suffering. He lost a son, then his daughter and
is now on the run. His wife Latha has fallen ill after the daughter's
suicide and has gone back to her home," says Thimmesh, another
resident of Abalavadi.

"All other castes have good relationships with each other but the
Madigas behave differently and have strained ties with the Vokkaligas
because they borrow money and don't pay back. They are into these love
affairs," says Narasimhachar, the panchayat member.

What has encouraged Govindaraju and his family to speak out is the
support of the local unit of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party and its
leader M Krishnamurthy.

So far, the police have arrested eight of the 10 family members of
Davalana named in the complaint filed on January 5. They include two
of Davalana's brothers and their sons. Davalana is still on the run.

"We are asking everyone to surrender because the episode is affecting
the village," says Thimaraju. Govindaraju and his family, including
his mother and two sisters-in-law who are the main witnesses to
Suvarna's death, have been living undercover since the killing. They
too appeared briefly before the police to record their statements.

Amid complaints that the police are going slow in their investigations
in the case because Home Minister R Ashok is also a Vokkaliga, the
minister has assured effective investigations.


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[ZESTCaste] Analyzing The ‘OBC-Minority' Sub-Quota--Part III

http://www.countercurrents.org/ansari280112.htm

Analyzing The 'OBC-Minority' Sub-Quota--Part III

By Khalid Anis Ansari

28 January, 2012
Countercurrents.org

4.5% Sub-Quota for OBCs within Minorities: The 'policy' and
'technical' dimensions

Let me state right at the outset that the recent 4.5% sub-quota was
not a demand raised by the pasmanda movement but rather is informed by
the second recommendation of the Ranganath Mishra Report which is as
follows: "[…] we recommend that since according to the Mandal
Commission Report the minorities constitute 8.4 percent of the total
OBC population, in the 27 percent OBC quota an 8.4 percent sub-quota
should be earmarked for the minorities with an internal break-up of 6
percent for the Muslims (commensurate with their 73 percent share in
the total minority population at the national level) and 2.4 percent
for the other minorities […]" (Justice Ranganath Mishra 2007, 153).
That is why the statement of the Minister of Minority Affairs in Lok
Sabha on 28 th December 2011 is misleading when it suggests that: "For
several years, members of other backward classes belonging to
religious minorities have been demanding that a separate quota should
be earmarked for them out of the 27 percent reserved for OBCs"
(Ministry of Minority Affairs 2011). Quite clearly this was never a
pasmanda demand but is much closer to the second recommendation of the
Ranganath Mishra Commission to be considered in case the first
recommendation of a blanket 10% reservation for all Muslims faced any
'insurmountable obstacles'! With this opening remark let me first of
all examine the major objections to the sub-quota raised by various
sections.

The first objection raised by many OBC groups is that
this sub-quota is eating into the existing OBC quota and that such a
provision should be made only after enlarging the overall OBC quota
once the 50% cap on reservations is done away with (Correspondent
2011). This objection can be met by stating that in this sub-quota no
new castes are being added to the existing OBC list rather the already
listed OBCs belonging to minorities are being brought within a 4.5%
sub-quota informed by differentiated levels of backwardness within the
OBC category. Since the OBC quota belongs as much to the majority-OBCs
as to the minority-OBCs the question of 'eating up' is an irrelevant
objection. Further, there can be no principled objection to sub-quotas
per se as there are already sub-quotas in place in many State OBC
lists—Kerala has 8 sub-quotas, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have 5
each, Tamil Nadu and Bihar have 2 respectively. As far as the 50% cap
on reservations is concerned it was articulated by the Balaji judgment
(1963) of the Supreme Court and reiterated by the Mandal judgment in
1992. It is important to note what Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had said on this
issue during the Constituent Assembly debates:

Supposing, for instance, we were to concede in full the demand of
those communities who have not been so far employed in the public
service to the fullest extent, what would really happen is, we shall
be completely destroying the first proposition upon which we are all
agreed, namely, that there shall be an equality of opportunity. Let me
give an illustration. Supposing, for instance, reservations were made
for a community or a collection of communities, the total of which
came to something like 70 per cent of the total posts under the State
and only 30 per cent are retained as the unreserved. Could anybody say
that the reservation of 30 per cent as open to general competition
would be satisfactory from the point of view of giving effect to the
first principle, namely, that there shall be equality of opportunity?
It cannot be in my judgment. Therefore the seats to be reserved, if
the reservation is to be consistent with Sub-clause (1) of Article 10,
must be confined to a minority of seats (cited in Reddy, 1992).

Also, the Mandal judgment clearly states:

While 50% shall be the rule, it is necessary not to put out of
consideration certain extraordinary situations inherent in the great
diversity of this country and the people. It might happen that in
far-flung and remote areas the population inhabiting those areas
might, on account of their being out of the main stream of national
life and in view of conditions peculiar to and characteristical to
them, need to be treated in a different way, some relaxation in this
strict rule may become imperative. In doing so, extreme caution is to
be exercised and a special case made out. In this connection it is
well to remember that the reservations under Article 16 (4) do not
operate like a communal reservation. It may well happen that some
members belonging to, say Scheduled Castes get selected in the open
competition field on the basis of their own merit; they will not be
counted against the quota reserved for Scheduled Castes; they will be
treated as open competition candidates (Reddy 1992).

So, quite clearly the articulation of 50% cap on the quota has a
strong conceptual foundation and in all likelihood will meet an
adverse judicial review even if the legislature decides to do away
with it through a Constitutional amendment. However, the only option
of including it within the 9 th Schedule and thereby exempting it from
judicial review seems a very distant possibility in the present
circumstances.

The second objection that has been prominently raised
by the BJP is that it is a 'communal' or 'religious' quota and
therefore it is unconstitutional. This objection can be met by stating
that it is not a sub-quota for 'Muslims' alone but rather for the OBCs
belonging to all minorities, especially the Muslims, Sikhs and
Christians—in other words, this is a complex quota involving
identities like 'caste', 'religion' and also 'class' because of the
provision of creamy layer for the OBC quota introduced by the Mandal
judgment. Besides, in the states of Karnataka (interestingly ruled by
BJP at present) and Kerala sub-quotas for 'Muslims' within the OBC
quota have been in practise for long and no one has seriously
challenged that thus far. What is more surprising is that in both
Karnataka and Kerala even a few upper caste Muslim groups like Syeds,
Pathans, Thangals, etc., who in all likelihood would qualify as
'pseudo-communities' (a term employed by the Mandal Judgment) are also
included in the sub-quota for Muslims within the OBC category. But
this is probably due to the invisibilization of caste and the lack of
a caste-based political movement within South Indian Muslims in
contrast to the situation in North India. However, sociologically
speaking caste practises are very much alive within Muslims in South
Indian states as well (D'Souza 1973). In the more recent case of
Andhra Pradesh where a blanket 5% reservation for all Muslim groups
was appropriately struck down by the Andhra High Court as being
'unconstitutional', it will be useful to recall that a revised
sub-quota of 4% for lower caste Muslims was rejected by the Andhra
High Court not because it was unconstitutional but because "[…] the
methodology followed by the Backward Classes Commission to identify
those who would benefit was unsustainable […] the court was not
satisfied with the yardstick used to define 15 categories of Muslims
as backward and said the BC Commission's action was 'mechanical and
perfunctory'" (NDTV 2010). However, the Supreme Court later intervened
and through an interim order had upheld the 4% quota for OBC-Muslims
in Andhra Pradesh but also referred the matter to a Constitution Bench
subsequently (PTI 2010). The matter is subjudice in the Supreme Court
and the confusion will clear once the court takes a call on that.

The third objection often raised by many groups is
regarding the quantum of the sub-quota: some feel it is less while the
others feel it is probably on the higher side. It seems that the
sub-quota has been calculated from the data provided by the Mandal
Report. The Mandal Report had calculated the BC-Hindus to be about
43.7% of the total Indian population which amounted to 52% of the
Hindu population (83.84% at that time). Applying this rule of thumb,
since there was no data available on the OBC population within
minorities, it calculated the OBC-Minority population as 8.4% (52% of
total minority population of 16.16% then). Hence, the total
population of Hindu OBCs estimated by the Mandal Report was 43.7% and
that of minority OBCs as 8.4% thereby taking the total OBC population
roughly to 52%. Now in order to stay within the 50% cap the population
of 52% OBCs was granted 27% quota. If we go by this logic then 4.5%
sub-quota for OBC-minorities seems quite adequate in arithmetic terms.
However, according to P. S. Krishnan this seems to be on the lower
side. As per his calculations the OBC-Minorities should be entitled to
a 6.75% sub-quota, out of which Muslim-OBCs alone have a legitimate
claim of about 5.5% (Krishnan 2012).

In the light of the above discussion most of the
objections to the 4.5% sub-quota do not seem to be very sound ones
from a technical point of view. However, many pasmanda activists also
seem to be very sceptical with regard to the expected results and
benefits from the sub-quota. Largely because they feel the OBC Muslims
will face a real competition from the Sikh-OBCs (around 1.2%
population) and the Christian-OBCs (around 1.4% population),
especially the latter because of a strong tradition of education due
to the intervention of the Church amongst them. So, if Rashid Alvi,
the Congress spokesperson, suggested that OBC Muslims (about 11%
population) were already able to corner about 3% benefits from the
existing scheme of 27% OBC quota (Jha 2011), then one is not sure if
there is going to be any significant improvement beyond 3% due to the
4.5% sub-quota if one takes into account the competition from other
OBC-Minorities (Jha 2011). In fact, one should not be very surprised
if the actual representation goes below the 3% that the OBC-Muslims
were already able to corner within the 27% OBC quota. But one can only
wait and take a call on that once the initial results start pouring in
after the sub-quota is implemented.

To be continued.

Part I of this paper can be accessed here:
http://www.countercurrents.org/ansari260112.htm

Part II of this paper can be accessed here:
http://www.countercurrents.org/ansari270112.htm

Works cited

Correspondent. "Opposition builds up on UP 'quota within quota'."
December 20, 2011.
http://www.asianage.com/india/opposition-builds-quota-within-quota-530
(accessed January 24, 2012).

D'Souza, Victor S. "Status Groups among the Moplahs on the South-West
Coast of India." In Caste and Social Stratification among the Muslims
, edited by Imtiaz Ahmad, 45-60. Delhi: Manohar Book Service, 1973.

Jha, Sanjay K. "UPA works on quota for Muslims." November 24, 2011.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111124/jsp/frontpage/story_14793066.jsp
(accessed January 22, 2012).

Justice Ranganath Mishra. "Report of the National Commission for
Religious and Linguistic Minorities." Ministry of Minority Affairs,
GOI, 2007.

Krishnan, P. S. "On 4.5% Reservations for BCs of Minorities." unpublished, 2012.

Ministry of Minority Affairs. "Statement of Minister of Minority
Affairs in Lok Sabha on 28th December 2011." December 28, 2011.
http://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/sites/upload_files/
moma/files/Statement_LS_Minister.pdf
(accessed January 19, 2011).

NDTV. "Muslim quota unsustainable: Andhra High Court." February 8,
2010. http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/muslim-quota-unsustainable-andhra-high-court-15979
(accessed January 24, 2012).

PTI. "SC's interim relief to AP on Muslim reservation." March 25,
2010. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/SC%27s+interim+relief+to+
AP+on+Muslim+reservation/1/89814.html
(accessed January 24, 2012).

Reddy, B. J. "Indra Sawhney Etc. vs Union Of India And Others, Etc.
(16 November, 1992)." November 16, 1992.
http://indiankanoon.org/doc/1363234/ (accessed January 22, 2012).

[The author is a researcher working on the dalit-pasmanda movement. He
can be contacted at khalidanisansari@


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