Latest News Update: Feb 1, 2012

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

[ZESTCaste] India’s low-caste queen launches re-election bid

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2012/February/international_February23.xml&section=international

India's low-caste queen launches re-election bid
(AFP)

1 February 2012
SITAPUR, India — India's "Dalit Queen," a low-caste firebrand in power
in the country's most populous state since 2007, launched her
re-election bid Wednesday promising to continue working for the
down-trodden.

Crowds of supporters from India's Dalits, formerly "untouchables" or
the lowest social class, cheered and waved as she swooped down in a
helicopter before appearing on stage clutching her trademark leather
handbag.

Mayawati, who uses one name, rules deeply impoverished Uttar Pradesh
where she has helped elevate the status of the low-castes, but is also
accused of letting the state slide further into corruption and
dysfunction.

She has also spent more than a billion dollars building giant statues
of herself and her party symbol of an elephant, as well as memorials
to past low-caste icons, in sprawling parks in the state capital
Lucknow.

"It is the first time for this state that our government took up the
cause of the Dalits and the deprived, as well as Muslims who were
always neglected by successive regimes," she said in an hour-long
speech.

Uttar Pradesh, which goes to the polls next Wednesday to elect a new
state assembly, has a population of 200 million — about the size of
Brazil's — and some of the most entrenched poverty in the world.

It is influential in national politics as a power base — Mayawati once
said she hoped to rule the nation — and is the home constituency of
India's dynastic Gandhi family, which has dominated post-independence
India.

After taking to a stage that was adorned with her image, the
56-year-old, dressed smartly in beige, sat alone on a raised armchair
on the front of the platform. Her ministers and local candidates stood
discreetly at the back.

The crowd numbering at least 50,000, many of them families of
low-caste farm labourers, packed into every available space in an open
field in the town of Sitapur, about a two-hour drive northwest from
Lucknow.

Many said the election of Mayawati as chief minister in 2007 had
helped improve their lives as they were less often victims of
persecution and harassment from higher castes.

Some described being forced to carry cow dung, or having their new
clothes ripped by their resentful upper-class peers. Others said they
were previously prevented from drinking from the same wells as higher
castes or eating near them.

Few seemed bothered by the allegations of corruption that swirl around
Mayawati, or the criticism of her extravagant spending on her statue
parks.

In a speech focused largely on attacking her opponents, she promised
24-hour electricity to every home in her next term and said economic
growth in Uttar Pradesh had increased during her reign.

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[ZESTCaste] Tribal Mela: Women ‘models’ pulled out

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tribal-mela-women-models-pulled-out/906719/

Tribal Mela: Women 'models' pulled out
Debabrata Mohanty Posted online: Thu Feb 02 2012, 00:22 hrs
Bhubaneswar : A day after The Indian Express reported how aborigine
tribals were being used as live models at the Adivasi Mela hosted by
the Orissa SC/ST welfare department leading to protests from rights
activists, the government pulled out the women tribals.

At the Kutia Kondh stall of the mela, Narendra Majhi, who on Tuesday
said he was promised Rs 100 per day for sitting outside the
make-believe hut, sat with officials from SC/ST department.

"This morning the officials held a meeting and said my wife will not
sit with me. They said some people are taking our pictures and I might
land in jail for that. But why would I be in trouble? Anyway I just
want to go back home the day the mela ends," he said. Sada Juanga from
Gonasika village of Keonjhar district also sat without his wife
Saibani.

Congress MP Pradeep Majhi said he would take up the issue with Union
Tribal Welfare Ministry. "We tribals can't be portrayed like zoo
animals for amusement of urban people," said Majhi.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits' Houses Set Afire, 8 Held in Rajasthan

http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=749899

Dalits' Houses Set Afire, 8 Held in Rajasthan
PTI | Jodhpur | Feb 01, 2012

Houses of Dalits were burnt by members of an upper caste at Padasla
village in Osian near Jodhpur late last night, after which police
arrested 8 persons today in connection with the arson.

The situation turned tense in the village following the incident and
people from Dalit community assembled there demanding the earrest of
the accused.

According to Richhpal Singh, DSP (Osian), a group of miscreants from
the upper caste said to be 20-25 in number barged into the village
riding autos, 4-wheelers and two-wheelers at about 11.30 pm on Tuesday
and attacked some huts constructed on a land which the assailants
claimed to be theirs and set them ablaze.

They also pelted stones on them and fired some shots in the air before
fleeing, he said adding one person has sustained minor injuries.

Singh said some people from Dalit community have their huts built on a
piece of 2-bigha land.

"Recently, they had constructed a hut on a land adjacent to this land,
which when come to the notice of a person from the upper caste, who
claimed it to be his land, and he, along with others of his community,
came to evict them from the land and set the huts ablaze", the police
officer told.

The situation in the village is under control now, he said adding "we
have registered case against 19 persons under different sections of
IPC including SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act".

According to an official, the issues related to land conflicts are on
the rise in the villages, especially in the light of soaring land
prices.

"It is very common that a land is registered in the name of some
person but inhabited by some other person and that too for years in
the villages like in this case. But now, with the price shooting up,
those, who have the land registered in their name, are coming to claim
such lands", he said adding that taking the advantage of the absence
of the documents showing their ownership, miscreants are increasingly
claiming such land, which is leading to conflict.
Filed On: Feb 01, 2012 21:39 IST

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[ZESTCaste] Odisha Panchayat polls: Dalit woman candidate allegedly misbehaved in Kendrapada

http://www.odishatoday.com/viewnews.php?news_id=2531

Odisha Panchayat polls: Dalit woman candidate allegedly misbehaved in Kendrapada
By Khirabdhi Tannaya
Date : 01-Feb-2012 09:01:48
Odisha Panchayat polls: Dalit woman candidate allegedly misbehaved in Kendrapada

Kendrapada (Odisha): A dalit woman contesting for Panchayat Samiti
member and her sister-in-law allegedly misbehaved by some fellow
villagers in Kendrapada block, said police.

The victim has filed an FIR at Kendrapada sadar police station, sources said.

If sources are to be believed, a 32-year old dalit woman, Laxmipriya
Sethy, contesting for the Member of Panchayat samiti from Ayeba GP
under Kendrapada Block, alleged that some fellow villagers on
Tuesday night entered into her house, when she and her sister -in -law
jayanti Sethy were only present in the house.

The victim further alledged that the fellow villagers abused them and
passed castiesm remarks and later, the miscreants made an attempt
to strip them with an intention to outrage their modesty .But
the neighbours congregated near her house after they shouted for
help ,as a result the accused fled from the house, she said.

The accused, who allegedly made an attempt to strip her, has been
identified as Bijay Kumar Swain, Abhaya Kumar swain and Ayodhya Biswal
of Ayeba village.

The accused trio have allegedly threatened to kill her family members
by setting a fire to her house if she discloses the matter to anybody
or would lodge an FIR in this regard at police station, said the
victim.

Meanwhile, the victim Laxmipriya Sethy has brought the notice of the
SDPO of Kendrapada, returning officer –cum BDO of Kendrapada Block,
state Election Commissioner by urging to take stringent action
against the accused persons.

The dalit woman, has also file complained to the State Human Rights
Commission and State SC &ST commissioner by filing petitions .

When contacted, the SDPO of kendrapada, Nrushingha Charan Swain
,stated that he has directed the IIC of Kendrapada Sadar police
station to conduct an inquiry in this alleged matter and to take steps
accordingly against the accused.

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[ZESTCaste] My trip to India – The Dalit Community’s Struggle for Social Justice

http://www.jaynaidoo.org/my-trip-to-india-the-dalit-communitys-struggle-for-social-justice/

31 Jan 2012

My trip to India – The Dalit Community's Struggle for Social Justice

What a different planet I experienced in the last 2 days. Exhausting
and exhilarating. Travelling with Kami, my son and the leader of the
Dalit community, Ashok Kumar Bharti reminded me so much of the
militant mass struggles of the Eighties. Ashok, like Steve Biko, is a
fiery, charismatic leader who is unafraid to confront power with the
truth. Unassuming and humble he is a peoples' leader who has the trust
of his community. The Dalit population is over 170 m and have been
historically oppressed by the caste system. While this discrimination
has been abolished, like us in South Africa we know that ending racism
on paper does not automatically end racist attitudes in society. Only
powerful community mobilization and organisation under an ethical and
committed leadership makes that a reality. We have a lot to learn from
the continuing struggles of the Dalit population for social justice
and human dignity.

Our Constitution enshrines our basic fundamental human rights. 18
years later we see social inequality and its attendant corruption
rising not only in the public and private sector but also in civil
society. What I learn from my travels to faraway villages and informal
shanty towns is that democracy has to be fought for everyday. Leaders
even from our own ranks will not hesitate to betray our cause of
social justice. We need to bang on their doors to keep them on their
toes as Cde Joe Slovo once said to me. Today it makes more sense that
in the heyday of the euphoria of our victory of democracy in 1994.

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[ZESTCaste] All roads lead to Sitapur in Mayawati's show of strength

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2851372.ece

SITAPUR, February 2, 2012
All roads lead to Sitapur in Mayawati's show of strength
Smita Gupta

At Sitapur, she blames opponents — Congress, in particular — for U.P.'s ills

It was a massive show of strength by Uttar Pradesh's ruling Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) at Sitapur, 85 km from Lucknow, as Chief Minister
Mayawati launched her election campaign on Wednesday — the first of 62
rallies she will address over 29 days.

If Ms. Mayawati roundly blamed all her political opponents, she gave
top billing to the Congress: she blamed the Centre for virtually
everything that she could not deliver to people in her five-year rule,
while describing its efforts to give reservation to the minorities
within the OBC quota as a conspiracy to divide society.

As we drove into Sitapur, a seemingly unending line of people — the
men largely in trousers and shirts, Ambedkarites all, the women in
their colourful best made their way to the rally. There was no
jostling, no blocking of traffic, only the occasional slogan. After
days of being at the receiving end of the Opposition onslaught against
the BSP and its leader, its silent supporters suddenly appeared as if
from nowhere, filling every inch of the ground, climbing on trees and
rooftops.
'Iron Lady'

On stage, local leaders held forth, describing Ms. Mayawati as the
"Iron Lady," spewing venom against the opposition: one speaker listed
the many rags-to-riches stories of the Yadavs who had become
construction magnates under the Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh's
rule. Occasionally, the speakers shouted out the first line of a party
slogan — and on cue, the crowd roared back the second line. The
favourite? "Vipaksh ki chaati par, batan dabao haathi par" (Stand on
the opposition's chests; press the button next to the elephant.)

Then the whir of the helicopter was heard. The party faithful were on
their feet and as Ms. Mayawati strode on to the stage, slogans rent
the air again. She waved to the crowd, and then sat down on a wide
sofa, her hands outstretched on either side. Then the first — and only
speaker — permitted to speak before her was announced, a Muslim, who
addressed her as Vazir-e-Alam, before breaking into a song about the
love and care his community had received during her rule, ending with:
"Oh Muslims, demand your rights/ How long will you be pushed
around/Come into the comforting shade of the BSP." It's a carefully
calculated gambit to lure away a substantial part of the 18 per cent
Muslim vote, which has been gravitating to her main rival — the SP.

Then Ms. Mayawati rose to speak, reading from a written text for the
next 50 minutes. If the Congress was the chief object of her ire, she
didn't spare the other rivals, attacking the SP for lawlessness during
Mr. Singh's rule and the BJP for fomenting communal tension and
corruption, citing the mining scams in Karnataka during B.S.
Yeddyurappa's reign there. She only faltered a bit while accusing the
Centre of manipulating the Central Bureau of Investigation to tarnish
the BSP's image on poll-eve in the National Rural Health Mission scam.
"The way the investigation is being done reflects the Congress'
anti-Dalit mindset. The Congress can't tolerate the fact that the
daughter of a Dalit is Chief Minister."

Her rally, she said, had drawn five times as many people as those who
attended Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's the day before in
the same district. "Don't get carried away by the manifestos of the
Opposition parties. Beware of the Congress in particular — its stakes
are high, but has virtually no support base."

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[ZESTCaste] UP Polls: MLA attempts suicide after Mayawati acts tough

http://news.oneindia.in/2012/02/02/mayawati-denies-ticket-bsp-mla-attempts-suicide.html

UP Polls: MLA attempts suicide after Mayawati acts tough
Thursday, February 2, 2012, 9:12 [IST]

Lucknow, Feb 2: A sitting BSP MLA on Wednesday, Feb 1 attempted
suicide after Mayawati denied a party ticket for the upcoming Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections.

According to the police, Radhey Lal Rawat, BSP MLA from Hasanganj,
attempted to end his life after JP Rawat, a party candidate was
replaced by him from Mohan seat in Unnao.

The MLA was rushed to a hospital in Lucknow, after he consumed poison.
The condition of the MLA is said to be stable now.

Earlier Mayawati had denied ticket to Avdesh Verma after he was
accused of indulging in corrupt practices. He broke down in front of
cameras pledging his loyalty to the party.

Jaleel Khan was also axed by Mayawati in a similar way. He however
said that he was sacked on false charges and not even given a chance
to clear his stand.

The first phase of Uttar Pradesh Polls will begin from Feb 4 to Mar 3.

OneIndia News

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[ZESTCaste] One more Ambedkar statue defaced

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/One-more-Ambedkar-statue-defaced/articleshow/11719340.cms

One more Ambedkar statue defaced
TNN | Feb 2, 2012, 12.46AM IST

RAVULAPALEM (EAST GODAVARI): The desecration of Ambedkar statues in
the state continues with another one defaced at Lakshmi Polavaram in
Ravulapalem mandal, early on Wednesday.

Dalit organisations staged a protest and shouted slogans against the
government for failing to stop the desecration of statues.

Meanwhile, some miscreants put a garland of slippers around an
Ambedkar statue in Jalapur in Nizamabad mandal but the police
succeeded in pacifying irate locals.

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[ZESTCaste] We will name schools after Ambedkar, says Mulayam Singh Yadav

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/We-will-name-schools-after-Ambedkar-says-Mulayam-Singh-Yadav/articleshow/11708745.cms

We will name schools after Ambedkar, says Mulayam Singh Yadav
Ashraf Jamal, TNN | Feb 1, 2012, 07.19AM IST

ALLAHABAD: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday said
that if his party was voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, he would set up
schools and hospitals on lands where parks and memorials have been
built by the Mayawati government.

"We will accord Ambedkar due respect by naming schools and colleges
after him which we intend to build on the lands which Mayawati had
captured in places like Lucknow and Noida for building these parks and
memorials," Yadav said addressing an election rally on the sprawling K
P Grounds here. Stating that the BSP has ignored the interests of the
farmers in the state who constituted about 72% of the population,
Yadav said, "The moment my government comes to power, I would waive
off farmers' loan upto Rs 50,000. Small traders would also benefit
under the scheme." The former chief minister also reiterated the
promise of unemployment doles and financial assistance to girls who,
after passing Class XII, opted for higher education and exhorted his
supporters to "come out in large numbers on the day of voting and help
the SP to form its government with an absolute majority".

"As soon as the SP comes to power, we will declare a number of
backward castes like Bind, Nishad, Kahar and Kol as Scheduled Castes
so that they enjoy the facilities reserved for the category and get a
better chance to improve their lot," the SP supremo a Speaking about
the "plight" of Muslims, Yadav observed that "the Sachar Commission
has rightly said that the condition of Muslims is even worse than that
of Dalits".

"In the state capital Lucknow, there are Muslims who live in tiny
hutments. Though lakhs of Muslim craftsmen are employed in building
our houses, they themselves are forced to live in inhuman condition."
He also spoke about those in the state who cannot afford high medical
expenses on heart, kidney or liver ailments and said: "Sometimes the
expenditure is as high as Rs 2 to 3 lakh, which the general public
can't afford. We have decided to provide free medical facilities to
such people." However, main attraction of the rally was the speech of
SP general secretary Azam Khan who set an instant chord with the
people when he said: "Allahabad Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb ka shahar hai,
jahan mohabbat behti hai. Yahan ki nadiyon kee dharaon mein pyar behta
hai (Allahabad is the land of Ganga-Jamuni tehzib, where the river of
love flows. The current of the rivers carry the love and affection of
the people)." He pointed out that the large gathering was a proof of
the fact that people now want a change from the corrupt Mayawati
government. "The people have become fed up of the government as every
section of the society, including students, women, the poor and small
traders have been exploited during the present regime."

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[ZESTCaste] 2011 tops in atrocities against dalits in TN: Study

http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/2011-tops-in-atrocities-against-dalits-in-tn-study/254/29355/

2011 tops in atrocities against dalits in TN: Study

PERACHI KANNAN | Chennai, January 30, 2012 20:32

Atrocities against dalits in Tamil Nadu have increased in the past
year and some of them have even gone unreported, reveals a study.
According to the report, the maximum number of crimes is taking place
in Villupuram district.

Highlighting the crime rate in 2011, a study by Madurai based Dalit
Rights organization, 'Evidence', reveals that the figures of those
killed has drastically increased in the year gone by.

There were 22 murders in 2010, 27 in 2009 and 34 in 2008. The study
also reports about killings of dalits.

While talking to TSI, the Executive Director of 'Evidence', Kathir
said, "While examining 336 cases last year, we have collected this
shocking information. Of those who have been done to death, 8 of them
are teenagers."

Most of the dalit political parties, he says, appear to have
compromised themselves with the establishment. "This tragic trend
prevailed because of the non-effective functioning of Police and
Judiciary. Unfortunately there is no political pressure to put an end
to this malady."

Last year alone, there were 20 sexual assaults on dalits, the study
reveals, but only 5.8 per cent of cases were taken for prosecution.

More than 95 per cent of those who commit these atrocities go
unscathed. Villupuram district has got the large number of dalit
population in Tamil Nadu. Kathir adds that Virudunagar district stays
is at the second place and Madurai district at the third place in
witnessing perpetration against the dalits.

"The 1989 act on atrocities against dalits has not been effectively
implemented and is evident from the information available. It only
shows the non-seriousness on the part of both the Centre and the State
Government in the cases of atrocities against dalits," says Kathir.

Kathir has also impressed upon the State Government to rehabilitate
the dalit families affected by the atrocities. He has urged upon the
government to create the awareness among the students of Tamil Nadu to
establish an egalitarian society.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits observe Black Day

http://expressbuzz.com/states/andhrapradesh/dalits-observe-black-day/357413.html

Dalits observe Black Day

Express News Service
Last Updated : 27 Jan 2012 12:18:59 PM IST

TIRUPATI: Protesting the demolition of Ambedkar statues in the
Konaseema region, Dalit organisations observed the 63rd Republic day
as a black day by hoisting black flags at the Ambedkar statue, here on
Thursday.

A freedom fighter Chinna Swamy hoisted a black flag as the activists
of several Dalit organisations shouted slogans against the apathy of
the government in nabbing the culprits responsible for the desecration
of statues.

Speaking on the occasion, Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes Welfare
Association district president Paramasivan said it was shameful on the
part of the government which failed to nab the culprits responsible
for statues vandalisation in Amalapurm, celebrating the Republic Day.
The desecrations of Ambedkar's statues amply prove that Dalits are
still not treated on par with others in the society.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams SC, ST Employees Association president
M Prasad said that Dalits will not keep quiet if such incidents recur.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits' houses burning: NHRC seeks report from Odisha govt

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/dalits-houses-burning-nhrc-seeks-report-from-odisha-govt/958430.html

Dalits' houses burning: NHRC seeks report from Odisha govt
PTI | 06:01 PM,Jan 31,2012

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
today sought a report from the Odisha government on destruction and
burning of houses of Dalits in Bolangir district. The NHRC asked the
government to submit the report within four weeks on a complaint
alleging that 30 houses of Dalits were destroyed and burnt by some
persons belonging to upper castes in Lathore village on January 22.
The complainant had requested a high level inquiry in the matter,
legal action against the accused and adequate compensation to the
victims.

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[ZESTCaste] Will Mayawati's magic work in 2012? Pundits doubtful

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-01-31/news/31010426_1_upper-castes-bahujan-samaj-party-minister-mayawati

Will Mayawati's magic work in 2012? Pundits doubtful
IANS Jan 31, 2012, 12.31PM IST

NEW DELHI: Her rock solid Dalit support may still be intact. But with
charges of corruption and poor governance enveloping her, Chief
Minister Mayawati may find the going tough in Uttar Pradesh, say
political activists and pundits.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is determined to retain power it bagged
in the country's most populous state five years ago on its own,
stunning foes and friends alike. It will be no bed of roses this time,
though.

For starters, there is disenchantment, widely referred to as
anti-incumbency. Mayawati and government are battling corruption
allegations too. Even admirers say she seems to have withdrawn from
the people she claims to represent.

Then there is the opposition factor. The Samajwadi Party is charged
up, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is determined to regain the
support base it has lost while the Congress wants to make a
spectacular comeback.

"She may not win a majority this time," political analyst N. Bhaskara
Rao told IANS, referring to Mayawati, the four-time chief minister of
Uttar Pradesh.

According to him, neglect of the basic "bijli-sadak-pani"
(electricity, road, water) issues cast doubts on her ability to win an
outright majority from the staggered seven-phase election starting Feb
8.

Rao admits that Mayawati's decision to deny tickets to a third of her
legislators and sacking of 16 ministers over corruption charges shows
she has strong decision-making capabilities.

But the 2007 magic -- "social engineering" -- has more or less broken
down. Compared to five years ago, Brahmins and other upper castes
don't seem to be backing her that enthusiastically.

Badri Narayan, an expert on Dalit issues with the Allahabad-based
Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Social Sciences, says that Mayawati's
popularity was declining.

"Her Dalit vote bank is intact but sections of Muslims, Brahmins and
Kurmis are shifting towards the Congress," Narayan told IANS.

In his view, though Mayawati has an image of an iron lady, the
distance between her and her party workers has increased over the past
five years.

"As a person she is good, understands rural society, and has
politically proved herself many times. But her exclusivity is going
against her," said Narayan.

After her political baptism in 1977 by BSP founder Kanshiram, school
teacher Mayawati had a meteoric rise in the party. She was made his
heir in 2001 and became the party chief two years later.

In 1995, Mayawati created history by becoming India's first Dalit
woman chief minister in Uttar Pradesh.

It was a short stint. She returned to power in March 1997 for another
brief stint, and again was chief minister May to August 2002. She
finally became chief minister on her own right in May 2007.

But even as her ambitions soared, the 2009 Lok Sabha election
checkmated her. The BSP won just 19 seats, far below the 40 it hoped
to capture. That was in part due to a Congress comeback, thanks to
Ranul Gandhi.

Today too, Rahul Gandhi is going hammer and tongs against Mayawati.

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[ZESTCaste] MP teacher who made school girls dance arrested

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/MP-teacher-who-made-school-girls-dance-arrested/articleshow/11704092.cms

MP teacher who made school girls dance arrested
PTI | Jan 31, 2012, 10.39PM IST

BETUL (Madhya Pradesh): The primary school teacher who allegedly
forced girl students to dance in a closed classroom under the
influence of alcohol was on Tuesday arrested by the police.

A case was registered against Mahesh Malvi, a teacher at a government
primary school at Deshgaon in the SC/ST Police Station of the district
following a complaint lodged by the parents of the girls. He was
arrested today and produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate First
Class, Adesh Kumar Malvi, who remanded him in jail, police said.

He has been booked under sections 294, 323, 506 and 509 of the IPC and
Section 3(1)10 of SC/ST Act, they said. Earlier, on a complaint by
children and their parents, District Education Officer, S S Thakur had
suspended Malvi and also initiated a departmental inquiry against him.

Malvi was posted as assistant teacher at Government Primary School,
Deogaon where he allegedly forced the girls to dance in a closed room
under the influence of alcohol and also ordered a boy to fetch a
liquor bottle for him.

The incident came to light on January 23 when the girls complained to
Betul Collector, Chandra Shekhar Borkar. Malvi, however, has denied
that he indulged in such acts arguing that a fellow teacher and few
villagers had conspired against him.

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[ZESTCaste] ‘I was like a pawn guarding wazir’: Kushwaha points fingers at Maya

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/i-was-like-a-pawn-guarding-wazir-kushwaha-points-fingers-at-maya/906184/

'I was like a pawn guarding wazir': Kushwaha points fingers at Maya
D K Singh Posted online: Tue Jan 31 2012, 23:30 hrs
Gorakhpur : Forced out of ministership and the coming elections over
his alleged role in Uttar Pradesh's NRHM scam, Babu Singh Kushwaha has
pointed fingers at Chief Minister Mayawati, pointing out that she was
in-charge of the Family Welfare Department before he took over.

Once Mayawati's backroom boy, Kushwaha, who had to resign as Family
Welfare Minister over the National Rural Health Mission scandal, also
alleged a conspiracy behind his removal. "The BSP leadership has this
character that they put a plant in the pot and pull it out every
morning to check if it is growing roots. In my case, it was probably
felt that I was growing roots... I was in the BSP for 27 years. I was
with her (Mayawati) for 17-18 years. I was working like a personal
servant and worker of the BSP neta. There was no let-up in my loyalty.
Have you played chess? An officer told me that I was like a pawn
guarding a wazir. Some people planted the idea that the pawn was just
a step away from wazir and the latter got convinced of it."

Talking to The Indian Express here, Kushwaha said: "The NRHM started
in 2005-06 in the Mulayam Singh government time. In these six years, I
was family welfare minister for less than two years — from May 2009 to
April 2011. How come only my name has been dragged? Before me, she
(Mayawati) was in charge... but entire talk is about my tenure and
nothing about others. UP bureaucrats including Shashank Shekhar and
Fateh Bahadur and Naseemuddin Siddiqui did it under a conspiracy."

The Comptroller and Auditor General incidentally conducted performance
audit of the NRHM from 2005 to 2011. About his own role, Kushwaha
says, "The CAG has called it a procedural mistake; it didn't say a
scam. To my knowledge, no file came to me and there was no signature
of mine... But if there is any signature, it must have been
inadvertant."

"The NRHM was an excuse to sideline me," Kushwaha says. "How come
these incidents (alleged murders of those linked with the NRHM scam)
only took place in the capital (Lucknow), while you have media
everywhere!"

He sees a conspiracy to clip his wings as an OBC leader. "It started
within two-three months of the 2009 parliamentary elections. I could
sense that they were cutting me step-by-step. My removal was not
sudden." If the CBI had not got involved, Kushwaha adds, "the state
government could have long ago made me Dr Sachan (an NRHM accused who
was found dead)".

Kushwaha asks why he kept being targeted even after he had resigned as
minister. "I started looking after party affairs but that was also
taken away. Siddiqui, Shashank Singh and Fateh Bahadur opened a
counter to get cases registered against me and those who did were
rewarded with chairmen's posts and party tickets. For instance,
Brijmohan Kushwaha had got an FIR registerd against me. He was made
chairman and now given the party ticket. Another minister (Medical &
Health Minister Anant Kumar Mishra) had resigned along with me; his
wife has been given a ticket."

According to him, when he told Mayawati he was being framed, "She said
I should not make enemies and she would take care of it."

Notwithstanding the corruption charges against him, Kushwaha, whose
community constitutes about 8.5 per cent of the electorate, is in huge
demand among BJP candidates. Asked about the controversy following his
induction into the party, forcing him to give up BJP membership,
Kushwaha says: "I worked for the BSP for 27 years and this happened...
But I was in the BJP for three days and they fought for me. The BJP
didn't say no to me. I wrote a letter to Gadkariji that my membership
should be suspended to avoid any controversy. I oppose 4.5 per cent
sub-quota for Muslims from within the 27 per cent OBC quota. The BJP
also opposes it."

He has a stock message to OBC supporters at election meetings: "While
I was still in the BSP, there were attempts to demolish my house and
my school and cases were filed against me and my supporters in Banda,
Faizabad, Allahabad, Jhansi... If you vote for the BSP, you know who
will form the government and then what will be meted out to me."

Asked about his future plans, Kushwaha says with a wry smile:
"Powerful people in the government have made such a plan for me that
it will take me a long time to plan my future. I became a victim in
filmi style. Investigations are on. I will be able to say many things
after it is over."

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati Changes BSP Candidate After India TV Sting Operation

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/India/Mayawati_Changes_BSP_Candidate_After_India_TV_Sting_Operation-13999.html

Mayawati Changes BSP Candidate After India TV Sting Operation
Ruchi Kumar [ Updated 31 Jan 2012, 18:53:30 ]

Lucknow, Jan 31: BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati
today cancelled the nomination given to Nahid Munawwar Hasan from
Gangoh seat in Saharanpur district, and has given the party ticket to
Ms Shagufta Khan.

A BSP press release today said that Nahid Munawwar Hasan was shown on
hidden camera by India TV seeking money and saying that he would be
spending more than the limit set by the Election Commission.

Mayawati Changes BSP Candidate After India TV Sting Operation

Mayawati said such malpractice by political party candidates during
election will not be tolerated.

"We will not tolerate such activities of any of our candidates. We
also expect the Election Commission to give strong directives to other
political parties to take action against candidates found seeking
money in the sting operation", Mayawati said.

"BSP is a disciplined party and the party leadership was forced to
take action against such persons. Our party has already taken action
against several leaders, ministers and MLAs found involved in
malpractices", she said.

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