Monday, May 30, 2011

[ZESTCaste] NCSC notice to UP govt over Jat killings

http://www.hindustantimes.com/NCSC-notice-to-UP-govt-over-Jat-killings/Article1-703452.aspx

NCSC notice to UP govt over Jat killings
Vikas Pathak, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, May 29, 2011

National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman PL Punia has
sent a notice to the Mayawati government over the killing of three
Jats in Bhatta-Parsaul, in recent clashes between villagers and
police, also asking about the status of the compensation due to their
families. Ironically,
Jats are a dominant caste in the region and are OBCs, not Dalits, in the state.

However, what has made Punia decide to send notice is that Article 338
(10) of the constitution — Article 338 as a whole deals with the NCSC
—expressly states: "In this article, reference to the Scheduled Castes
shall be construed as including references to… other backward
classes…and also to the Anglo Indian community".

"We have sent notice to UP under Article 338(10), informing them of
the charges that three OBC youth were killed in police firing, and
seeking to know from them what compensation they have given to the
aggrieved families as of now?" Punia told HT.

Jats were included in the UP state OBC list in the year 2000, but are
not part of the central OBC list yet. Punia however said, "This
incident took place in UP and was thus an atrocity against OBCs, on
which the NCSC is constitutionally empowered to take cognizance."

This attack from the NCSC chief — a Congress MP and an
aide-turned-arch-rival of UP CM Mayawati — comes close on the heels of
the NCSC's summoning of the district magistrate and superintendent of
police of Gautam Buddha Nagar over atrocities on Dalits in
Bhatta-Parsaul.

Politically, this is being seen as part of the ongoing
Congress-Mayawati row after Rahul Gandhi visited the twin villages
that became the site of a recent land acquisition controversy.

Sociologically, the notice may seem an anomaly to some, as a
constitutional commission mandated to safeguard the interests of
Dalits — at the bottom of the social pyramid — has sent notice to a
Dalit CM about the killing of members of a locally dominant caste.

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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Bharat me Jatiwad Sabse Bara Atankwad... [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from Siddhartha Kumar included below]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bhartiya Samanvaya Sangthan Lakshay <lakshay.jan1999@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, May 28, 2011 at 2:26 PM
Subject: Bharat me Jatiwad Sabse Bara Atankwad...

Bharat me Jatiwad Sabse Bara Atankwad...
Dear Brothers/Sisters - Jai Bhim
One day Cadre Camp by Lakshay at 10 AM, on 22 May 2011..
Venue : Valmiki Chaupal, village Sikri, Faridabad Haryana
Chief Orator: Mr RB Gautam, National Commander - Lakshay
You are cordially invited.
Regards

KP Gautam (Cordinator - Faridabad & Palwal district)
09717088460

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Attachment(s) from Siddhartha Kumar

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Saturday, May 28, 2011

[ZESTCaste] questions posted

time to ban temple priests or search for Kabir within or monitor implementation of reservation of dalits as temple priests? frankly i prefer option 2 or 1. but people have to decide

Ranjani.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dalit-boy-thrashed-for-entering-Tamil-Nadu-temple/articleshow/8631401.cm

Dalit boy thrashed for entering Tamil Nadu temple

Binoy Valsan, TNN | May 29, 2011, 01.55am IST

Article

Comments (4)

COIMBATORE: A teenage Dalit boy, who entered the sanctum sanctorum of a temple, was allegedly thrashed and abused by a Brahmin priest and his son in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district, on Friday.

K Vinith had gone to the temple with his younger sister K Sruthi for special prayers, an hour before her Class X results were declared on Friday. He entered the main temple, took `vibhuti' (holy ash) kept on a plate and smeared it on his sister's forehead. The priest and his son, who were not present in the sanctum sanctorum, returned then and allegedly slapped him repeatedly.

The two have been arrested on charges of abuse and causing voluntary hurt under sections of the Indian Penal Code. However, the police are yet to invoke the sections under the anti-untouchability law (The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act) against them.

Despite the presence of a stringent law and numerous public campaigns, complaints of Dalits being denied entry into temples abound.

According to Vinith, he had gone to the Siddhi Vinayaka temple near the co-operative housing unit in Mettupalayam around 9.30am to pray for Sruthi, who scored 71% in the exam. Temple priest S Jambunatha Gurukkal, 49, had left a plate of `vibhuti' at the entrance.

``Vinith took a pinch of `vibhuti' for his sister when the priest returned and confronted them,'' said P Krishnamoorthy, advocate and social activist.

The priest asked Vinith where he lived. When the boy said he was from the Adidravidar colony at Nadur, Jambunathan slapped him repeatedly for entering the temple, Vinith's father Krishnan, a railway contract employer, said.

Sruthi was shocked and screamed for help. Then, Jambunathan's son Sugavanam ran in and joined in beating up Vinith. The priest and his son asked them to leave after warning them to stay away from the temple.

Krishnan lodged a complaint with Mettupalayam police against the priest and his son. ``We took them into custody based on the complaint filed by the victims,'' said sub-inspector P N Thangavelu.

The priest's family claimed there was no caste angle to the issue, and Jambunathan just lost his temper when he saw the boy entering and ``defiling'' the sanctum sanctorum. ``He did not have any other intention. He could not control himself,'' said his wife J Revathi.

Nagarajan Iyer, another priest associated with the temple, claimed Jambunathan merely punished the boy for entering the sacred area and taking the `vibhuti'.

Dalit outfits have demanded stringent action against the priest. ``The priest and his son have been arrested on minor charges. They should be proceeded under the anti-untouchability Act,'' said S Karuppiah of the Dalit Liberation Movement.

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Poverty debates and NAC revisited

Poverty debates and NAC revisited

As news of National Advisory committee members critique that Rs 20 per day (urban areas) and Rs 15 per day (rural areas) per capita is not enough rightly hits the headlines and Supreme court backing them, it is time to visit poverty line debates and underpinning strategies (www.hindustantimes.com/NAC-members...poverty.../Article1-701079.asp), and deepen this useful critique.

UN statistics shows that 42% of India lives below $1 PPP, poorest quintile share in national consumption is a mere 8% , 48% of children under 5 are severely or moderately underweight in 2005 (latest year for which stats are available-http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx). Yes re-looking at poverty line is necessary, keeping in mind that the poor should get basic services- food, nutrition, child care, education- of same quality as rich. Any differential access has to stop.

In addition, it has to be kept in mind that specific barriers exist for POOR dalit, (whatever religion), adivasi, women, Muslims, women headed households, slum dwellers, migrant laborers, domestic and other unorganised workers, differently abled, people of diverse sexual and gender identities etc to access basic needs and be free of discrimination. For them not only poverty line needs to be higher, but issues of discrimination need to be addressed.

Further, 51.4% of employed people are living below $1 per day (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx). MNREGS and SGSY (self employment) and SGSRY (SGSY equivalent in urban areas) even if well implemented and without discrimination are not going to solve the problems, unless adequate agriculture land, forest and, coast is left for sustainable livelihood and food/nutritional security, destructive development projects are stopped, MREGS is linked to provision for land for above groups (and land reform is implemented) and there is an income/asset ceiling till poverty and malnutrition is eliminated. PDS should distribute not only rice, wheat and pulses, but also ragi, barely, bajra, maize and millets, which are more nutritious and will support dry land agriculture. Majority of India is under dry land agriculture

With due respect to existing NAC members,
HALF OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHOULD BE PEOPLE FROM MARGINALISED GROUPS LISTED ABOVE, BUT BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. They may be less "educated" and air a few "non politically correct views" (example, how will I marry my daughter) but they are also wise. For over the last one year listening to them and people who work closely with them I have corrected my views.

Ranjani

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[ZESTCaste] NCP congress compete for dalit votes

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/NCP-congress-compete-for-dalit-votes/articleshow/8576350.cms

NCP congress compete for dalit votes
Prakash Joshi, TNN | May 26, 2011, 06.00am IST

MUMBAI: With the Shiv Sena-BJP succeeding in roping the Ramdas
Athawale-led RPI (A), the Congress and the NCP have started serious
efforts to strengthen their support base among Dalit voters in
Maharashtra.

The NCP has already announced its plans to hold a massive rally of
Dalits in Mumbai on June 10, its foundation day; deputy chief minister
Ajit Pawar has announced that the party will prepare a charter of
demands for them and other backward castes in the state.

According to NCP sources, the party will use the rally to launch a
"mass campaign" for the 2012 Mumbai civic election elections.

According to NCP sources, the party will mobilize massive crowd for
the rally which will be used to launch NCP's mass campaign for coming
BMC elections scheduled in year 2012.

The Congress is also not lagging behind the NCP as the state will
witness several elections for the local self governments in the state
along with the prestigious BMC elections.

MPCC president Manikrao Thakare has set up a committee to woo Dalit
votes in the state. The committee is being headed by former finance
commission member and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar.

The committee will prepare a document on the present conditions of the
downtrodden and the schemes that should be devised for their
improvement.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan released a book written by Dr
Mungekar on development programmes and human face of new economic
policies. Chavan is hopeful that with Dr Mungekar on their side, the
Congress will get the support of Dalits in the state.

NCP city president Narendra Varma said, "Dalit votes are essential in
the forthcoming BMC elections.

The party has taken steps to ensure empowerment of Dalit voters in the state."