Latest News Update: Feb 21, 2012

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

[ZESTCaste] 9 months on, Dalits yet to return home

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/9-months-on-dalits-yet-to-return-home/232251-60-118.html

Tamil Nadu | Posted on Feb 21, 2012 at 09:43am IST
9 months on, Dalits yet to return home
indianexpressExpress News Service

MADURAI: Nine months after 35 Dalit families fled from their native
Vembathur village of Sivagangai district fearing for their lives after
the murder of two persons, fear still stalks the community as they are
yet to return home. Even a police post in the area has failed to
instil confidence among the Dalits.

It all began on January 29 last year when S Muthukrishnan (28), a
Dalit youth from Vembathur, was murdered in the same village. The
alleged motive was revenge as two caste Hindus from the nearby V
Pudukulam village had been arrested following a complaint from
Muthukrishnan's brother S Murugan.

Three months after Muthukrishnan's murder, one of the accused,
Karuppusamy, a caste Hindu from V Pudukulam, was murdered on May 4,
for which 11 Dalits from Vembathur were arrested. Fearing retaliation,
all 35 Dalit families of Vembathur deserted the village on May 4.

Despite two rounds of peace meetings held by revenue authorities,
normality is yet to be restored.

The Dalit families are living scattered in various towns, including
Sivaganga, Thirumancheri and Melur.

Deprived of their livelihood as small farmers and agricultural
workers, members of the families are working as construction workers
and daily wage workers in nearby towns and Madurai city. The schooling
of about 20 children too has been affected.

The latest peace meeting held at Sivaganga on Saturday was inconclusive.

Those who represented the caste Hindus of V Pudukulam village said
since the Dalits were divided into three groups after the local body
elections, the other two groups should be taken on board.

They promised peace and requested the revenue administration to
convince the other two groups to participate in a future peace
meeting.

Durga Murthy, the Revenue Divisional Officer of Sivaganga, who
presided over the peace meeting, told Express, "We will hold another
peace meeting soon. Revenue officials visited the village. Police post
is there."

A team from Evidence, an NGO, visited the affected village and the
people. A Kathir, director of the NGO, said:� "Chief Secretary and
Director General of Police should ensure the security for the Dalit
people of Vembathur. Those threatening the Dalits should be
apprehended. And `3 lakh should be given as compensation to each
family who were forced to desert their villages."

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit nursing student raped on Mahashivratri night

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dalit-nursing-student-raped-on-mahashivratri-night/914907/

Dalit nursing student raped on Mahashivratri night
Agencies Posted online: Tue Feb 21 2012, 20:41 hrs
Beed (Maha) : A 19-year-old Dalit student of a private nursing college
was allegedly sexually assaulted by two youth in Kaij tehsil in the
district, police said today.

The victim had gone to a Mahashivratri fair and was waiting at a bus
stop in Massajog village yesterday evening when the accused Balasaheb
Dhakne (22) and Atmaram Munde (25) approached her in a Tata Sumo, they
said.

According to police, there was another passenger in the vehicle whom
the accused forced to get down after the teenager boarded it.

The duo then stopped at Lahuri village road and allegedly took turns
to rape the victim.

The accused who were arrested later have been booked under section 376
(punishment for rape) of IPC and Dalit Atrocity Act, police said.

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[ZESTCaste] Here, BSP’s caste math may go for a toss

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Here--BSP-s-caste-math-may-go-for-a-toss/915176/

Here, BSP's caste math may go for a toss

Sanjay Singh Posted online: Wed Feb 22 2012, 04:42 hrs

Dibiyapur (Auraiya) : Dibiyapur, a small town in UP's Auraiya
district, is where Chief Minister Mayawati's image of a "good
administrator" was dealt the first blow — after the brutal killing of
PWD engineer Manoj Gupta in December 2008. Sitting BSP MLA from
Auraiya seat Shekhar Tiwari, sentenced to life imprisonment in the
case, is in jail.

Earlier, Dibiyapur was part of Auraiya, which has become a reserved
seat after delimitation; Tiwari is a native of Dibiyapur.

This time again, the ruling BSP has put its successful Brahmin-Dalit
formula of 2007 to test by fielding Ramji Shukla, a Brahmin, in
Dibiyapur. The town is part of the area known in UP politics as
Mulayamland comprising Auraiya, Etawah, Mainpuri and Kannauj
districts. "The way Mayawati has selected her candidates, it seems she
has little hope of forging a strong combination of Dalit and OBC
voters in these regions," said Shankar Choudhari, who had come to hear
BJP national president Nitin Gadkari's speech in Dibiyapur last
Sunday.

Mayawati had tried to bring OBC voters in her party fold in this
region during the 2009 LS elections. Those who were in the race for
the BSP ticket from Dibiyapur included BSP's two sitting MLAs — Shiv
Prasad Yadav from Bharthana and Mahesh Verma from Bidhuna. Bharthana
was snatched by the BSP from the SP in the by-election that was
necessitated after Mulayam Singh vacated it after his election to the
Lok Sabha in 2009. It has now become a reserved seat. Mahesh Verma had
eyed this seat to become a BSP nominee due to the substantial presence
of Lodhs, his castemen. Mayawati denied ticket to both Yadav and Verma
to accommodate Brahmin Ramji Shukla.

As things stand today, the BSP's decision to deny ticket to Mahesh
Verma has not only backfired but also seems to have benefited BJP
candidate Shiv Pratap Rajpoot, a Lodh.

The Congress, which has fielded Satyadeo Tripathi, appears to be in no
position to bag OBC votes in Dibiyapur "Voters know that the Congress
lack a social base and thus, no other castes wants to side with this
party," Mukul Shukla, who runs a medicine shop, said. Apart from
Dibiyapur, the BJP seems to be in good fight in Auraiya from where it
has fielded Chhakki Lal Kori. Auraiya's third constituency Bidhuna has
become an acid test for Mulayam Singh as his close relative, Pramod
Gupta, is the SP candidate here. If Mulayam fails to ensure the
transfer of Yadav votes in Gupta's favour, it would benefit Congress
candidate Vinod Yadav alias Kakka . The BSP nominee is Devesh Shakya,
brother of BSP's old horse and MLC Vinay Shakya who was the party's
candidate against Mulayam Singh in Mianpuri in the last Lok Sabha
elections.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati invokes Dalit ki beti mantra in Agra

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main51.asp?filename=Ws210212PRADESH.asp

Posted on 21 February 2012
CURRENT AFFAIRS
UTTAR PRADESH

Mayawati invokes Dalit ki beti mantra in Agra

Campaigning for the fifth phase comes to a close, next poll on 28 February

Virendra Nath Bhatt

With campaigning for the fifth of the seven phases of Uttar Pradesh
Assembly polls coming to a close on Wednesday 21 February, intense
jockeying for power among different political parties has intensified.
The political classes, it appears, do not want to wait for the
official poll results to be announced in march and have begun
calculating various combinations to find one best suited to them. The
busiest has been the Samajwadi Party (SP) camp that has been claiming
a return to power for the third time in UP. The SP leaders have also
said the Congress is lagging far behind in battle for UP.

In the Congress' camp, Union Communication minister Kapil Sibal,
during an informal exchange with the media, was candid about his
party's performance so far. "We are not going to win 220 seats this
time nor are we going to form the next government in UP. However, we
are excited by the sharp rise in voter turnout, our vote share will
increase this time," he said.

According to Sibal a high voters turnout has never gone in favour of
the ruling party. "A fair share of votes particularly those of the
youth has gone to the Congress," said the minister.

On her part, UP Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief, Mayawati
has once again invoked the "'Dalit ki beti' (Dalit's daughter)" card
and urged voters to give her another chance. In over three weeks since
she launched her party's campaign for the party Mayawati for the first
time on Wednesday 21 February, made a concerted attempt to polarise
the dalit votes in Western UP, urging the electorate to vote for their
own 'beti' (daughter). Earlier she had attempted to arouse the Dalit
passions by lashing out against the Election Commission's order to
cover her statues and those of BSP founder Kanshiram and the party's
symbol Elephant.

On Wednesday 21 February Mayawati addressed election meetings in Agra
and Aligarh, both in West UP, which goes to polls on 28 February in
the sixth phase of the election. "Dalit ki beti ko ek mauka aur do
(give another chance to the daughter of a Dalit)," said Mayawati. She
told the gathering that the, "Congress and other parties cannot stand
the sight of rapid development of UP under the leadership of the Dalit
Chief Minister."

She asked voters to close their ranks and ensure the victory of all
BSP candidates. Making an appeal to the Dalit Samaj, Mayawati said,
"You will have to work tirelessly, you will have to overcome all
obstacles and hardships for ensuring that each vote of your community
is cast. I assure you that if all BSP candidates win then your own
'dalit ki beti' will take the oath to the CM's office again." Mayawati
also made a fervent appeal to the 'Sarva Samaj' or the upper.
"Ensuring the [BSP] victory is also the responsibility of the Sarva
Samaj," she said.

Agra is the perhaps only city in India with a large population of
Dalit entrepreneurs belonging to the dominant Jatav sub-caste, who
dominate the leather and footwear industry. Agra was once the Center
of Ambedkarite politics and a stronghold of the Republican Party of
India floated by Dr BR Ambedkar.

Virendra Nath Bhatt is a Special Correspondent with Tehelka.
virendranathbhatt@gmail.com

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati behind FIR against Rahul: Congress

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mayawati-behind-FIR-against-Rahul-Congress/articleshow/11974790.cms

Mayawati behind FIR against Rahul: Congress
IANS | Feb 21, 2012, 12.37PM IST

An FIR has been filed against Rahul who have been booked under Section
188 of IPC for violating prohibitory orders.
KANPUR: Blaming Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, the Congress on
Tuesday said it would approach the high court for quashing a police
complaint against party leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly violating
rules during a roadshow here.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh alleged: "The action was taken on the
direction of Mayawati as they are scared of the successful campaign by
Rahul Gandhi. We will go to the high court for quashing the FIR
registered against him for violating restrictions under Section 144."

He also denied any violation of the election model code of conduct
during Gandhi's road show in Kanpur Monday.

"We have not received any notice from the Election Commission and as
per the rules no permission is required for carrying out mass
communication," he told reporters.

According to the Kanpur district administration, Gandhi was granted
permission to undertake his roadshow along a 20-km route against the
party's application for covering a 37-km route. Gandhi faced the
charge after choosing to undertake a longer road-show than what the
district administration had permitted him.

Kanpur will go to polls in the fifth phase of polling Feb 23.

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[ZESTCaste] Ask people why I am confident, says Mayawati

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ask-people-why-i-am-confident-says-mayawati/232365-37-170.html

Elections | Updated Feb 21, 2012 at 05:42pm IST
Ask people why I am confident, says Mayawati
Bhupendra ChaubeyBhupendra Chaubey, CNN-IBN

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has claimed that her
government has done more for the state than the Congress, the
Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put
together.

Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo
has said that she is asking for votes in the assembly elections on the
issue of development.

However, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister refused to answer a question
on Rahul Gandhi, who is spearheading the campaign for the Congress in
the state.

Here's the full text of the exclusive interview:

Bhupendra Chaubey: You look very confident in all your rallies. What's
the basis of this confidence in you?

Mayawati: If you talk to people who come to my rallies, you will
understand the reason for my confidence.

Bhupendra Chaubey: In your rallies, you talk about development and the
steps you have taken over the last five years. Will development be a
core election issue?

Mayawati: I have accomplished in the last five years what no
government in Uttar Pradesh has done since independence. We don't
talk, just act.

We have brought to Uttar Pradesh law and order, and development to all
sections of the society.

Bhupendra Chaubey: Is this the core issue in these elections?

Mayawati: Everyone knows that the BSP believes in equality and
development for all.

Bhupendra Chaubey: Is this election about you building an umbrella of
social alliances?

Mayawati: You should ask the people who come to my rallies to see how
I am working for development of all communities.

Bhupendra Chaubey: Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are campaigning against you…

Mayawati refuses to answer and walks away.

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[ZESTCaste] Where Patels look for peace but Pathans won’t forgive

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Where-Patels-look-for-peace-but-Pathans-won-t-forgive/914941/

Where Patels look for peace but Pathans won't forgive
Ujjwala Nayudu Posted online: Wed Feb 22 2012, 03:40 hrs
Sardarpura, Mehsana : Ten years after 31 Muslims were killed here,
dragged out of lofts, grocery boxes, water tanks of a one-room house
they had hidden in, there is talk of "peace" in Sardarpura.

The 22 Muslim families who remain, all of them Pathans, know what has
prompted this change of heart: the conviction in November last year of
31 for the massacre of March 1, 2002. The Patels, always the dominant
caste here, subjugating both the minority Muslims and the lower-caste
Dalits, find themselves unusually on the back foot. And they have been
courting the Pathans to get them to drop the complaints, to get their
family members out of jail, and to avoid endless court battles.

However, as Munsaf Khan Pathan says, they can't find inside them the
pardon that the Patels seek. A dismissed police constable, he once
thought the law was at least on his side — till that night.

"They (the Patels) have been calling us for village meetings every
week, where the present panchayat leaders claim they have realised
their 'mistake'. They want us to file fresh affidavits in the local
court withdrawing our complaints and the affidavits filed earlier in
the 2002 riots… Even an offer of several crores will not change our
decision."

Shafiq may be just a boy but he says he understands the "scheming" and
"plotting" of the Patels. "They are luring young boys from our
community with job offers and elders with offers of more farm land for
agriculture if we withdraw our statements," he says.

Once Muslims comprised 10 per cent of the total population of
Sardarpura village, including Pathans, Sheikhs, Balochs, Mansooris,
Nagoris etc. Most of those who died were Sheikhs, cornered in the
kitchen house, the last such structure down a lane in the 'Sheikh
Mohalla', itself located inside 'Pathanwadi'.

The Pathans got saved as most escaped or went into hiding. Munsaf took
his family to Sundarpur village.

While he still harbours the guilt of "not doing enough" for his Sheikh
neighbours, Munsaf admits: "I couldn't have forgiven myself if any
member of my family died." He believes they were also lucky as their
area only had lower-caste Hindus. "Probably that's why we are alive
today."

Ironically, not only have the Pathanwadi Muslims come closer to each
other after the riots, they have a better relationship with the Dalits
as well. The lower castes feel more protected with the Pathans than
the Patels.

The Patels, meanwhile, have cornered 2,000 to 3,000 bighas of fertile
land in Sardarpura, relegating the Pathans to 30 to 40 bighas.

Another example of domination is the Sardapura bazaar, once a hub of
Muslim traders. The riots began with torching of three shops here.
Later, the panchayat handed these over to the Patels.

"The Patels finished everything, still they are not satisfied. They
also want to grab the little left with us," says Munsaf's 85-year-old
mother Mehrunisa, now the oldest surviving Muslim in Sardarpura.

After five years of struggle, the Pathans have got a small patch of
land in the market where they are building six shops.

It hurts them when Ramesh Patel, son of former sarpanch Kachra Patel,
talks of regret. Kachra was convicted of the riots and of having
prompted others to join the violence. He had won the sarpanch
elections with 100 per cent votes in 2002.

Now running his father's farm, Ramesh claims: "My father wanted to
rise high in politics. He got attracted to the riches he was promised
by political outfits. The outcome is that Patel farmers are serving
terms in jails but those who involved the panchayat leaders are
roaming free. We were used to create riots and have ended up becoming
political victims."

Among those the witnesses had named for instigating the panchayat
leaders to riot were former Godhra MLA Haresh Bhatt and BJP MLA
Narayan Lalu.

Ramesh's defence cuts no ice with Dilawar Sheikh, then just 10, now
working as a farm labourer in Satnagar – a nearby village where the
Muslims who fled or survived Sardarpura are settled.

Dilawar remembers that his family and neighbours had made similar
pleas to the rioters, only to be burnt alive. "The attackers asked us
to touch their feet. People touched their feet and begged for mercy,
only to be burnt with acid."

Sometimes though, Sardarpura feels like old times, such as during Eid
and Navaratri. Pathanwadi glows like a new bride on such days, the
Muslims say, with the Dalits celebrating both Navaratri and Eid.

The Patels too have their own festivities in the village square,
grander and louder. The Pathans and the Dalits are not welcome.

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