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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Now, honour killing rocks TN: Father attacks daughter

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/-Now-honour-killing-rocks-TN-Father-attacks-daughter/articleshow/6136096.cms

Now, honour killing rocks TN: Father attacks daughter
Shalini Umachandran & Padmini Sivarajah, TNN, Jul 7, 2010, 01.41am IST

Shocking case of honour killing in ChennaiCHENNAI/MADURAI: If you
thought honour killings are confined to northern states, here's a
reality check: a Tamil Nadu girl, who eloped with her boyfriend after
she was married off to a man 15 years older to her, paid a heavy price
for it. She lost her lover and was brutally attacked and ostracized by
her family and community.

Megala decided to follow her heart. And paid a heavy price for it,
losing her lover and being attacked and ostracised by her family and
community in Manamadurai.

The latest in a series of such attacks on women in the state, the
Megala case dispels the popular notion that 'honour killings' are
confined to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the north; southern
states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh too witness similar
incidents periodically. Many of them are sparked off when educated
single women walk out of their homes and choose their own partners,
sometimes from another community or caste.

Honour crimes and killings take place when young people challenge
accepted norms of marriage, according to a study commissioned by the
National Commission for Women (NCW). Megala, 20, and Sivakumar, 24,
were told they couldn't marry as they were related. Her family married
her off in June. Ten days after the wedding, she ran away with
Sivakumar. Her family tracked the couple down and attacked Sivakumar
with 'aruvaals'. Sivakumar died on the spot, and his killers, who
included her father and brother, have been arrested. Megala, now in
hospital, says that everyone in her village, including her mother,
feels that the punishment is justified as she brought shame to her
village and the Thevar community to which she belongs.

The accusation against her are virtually the same as those made
against victims in north India. The NCW study, still underway, shows
that of the 326 cases of conflict surveyed so far nationwide, 72% were
because the couple crossed caste barriers and only 3% were because the
couple were from the same gotra. "Women are making their own choices
and in a patriarchal set-up this causes problems," says Ravi Kant,
Supreme Court advocate and president of Shakti Vahini, the
organisation that is conducting the study for NCW.

Activists in Tamil Nadu endorse this view. "Honour killings are not
unheard of in TN. The basis is usually caste, more often than not a
Dalit boy marrying an upper caste girl," says U Vasuki, general
secretary, All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).

But there is no data available to indicate the extent of the problem,
primarily because cases are registered as murder under the IPC without
charges to indicate that it may be an honour killing. If the case
involves a Dalit and a non-Dalit, it is registered under the SC/ST
Prevention of Atrocities Act.

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[ZESTCaste] Panchayat: Return our girl or we take yours

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/panchayat-return-our-girl-or-we-take-yours/643098/

Panchayat: Return our girl or we take yours
Pragya Kaushika,Pragya Kaushika Posted: Jul 07, 2010 at 0101 hrs

Greater NOIDA A caste panchayat in Greater Noida has threatened to
abduct a girl and two boys from a Dalit village if a Brahmin girl, who
allegedly eloped with a Jatav boy on June 24, was not sent back home.
The panchayat issued the diktat after Priyanka Sharma (21), daughter
of Rajendra Sharma of Mandaiya village, allegedly eloped with one
Sanjay Jatav (24), of Daula village. Village elders from Mandaiya held
a panchayat in at the boy's house in Daula and decided that if the
girl was not sent back, the Brahmin villagers will abduct a girl and
two boys from the Dalit village.

Sanjay's father Kanchi Jatav claimed the girl's family held him and
his brother hostage for some time on Sunday.

"When the police were informed, the Brahmins fled... but they
threatened to abduct a girl. We have sent our women out of the village
till the matter is resolved," he said, adding that he had no clue
where his son and the girl were.

Gautam Budh Nagar's SP (Rural) Surender Verma said the police have
registered a case of attempt to murder and criminal intimidation
against 40 villagers from Mandaiya.

"We have warned the community against any unlawful action. The
whereabouts of the couple are still unknown and we have assured that
they will be protected when they return," Verma stated. "An addition
platoon of armed police have been deployed in the village. A Circle
Officer and two inspectors have also been camping in the village," he
added.

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

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[ZESTCaste] Maya’s cultural jaal (Maya’s cultural jaal)

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/op-ed/maya%E2%80%99s-cultural-jaal-707

Maya's cultural jaal

July 7th, 2010
By Kancha Ilaiah

When the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Ms Mayawati, changed her
ideological position from Bahujan Samaj formulated by her mentor
Kanshi Ram to Sarvajan Samaj there was elation among the upper caste
intellectuals and sadness among the dalit-bahujan intellectuals.

Delhi-based intellectuals, who usually hate Ms Mayawati, started
praising her for her accommodative approach and for leaving behind the
confrontational approach of Kanshi Ram.

In fact, many were surprised how a militant anti-manuwadi woman leader
could compromise with the Uttar Pradesh brahmins against whom she had
been fighting so virulently.

When she worked out a formula for roping the Uttar Pradesh brahmins
into the fold of her votebank by repositioning her party's slogan
itself, from Bahujan Samaj to Sarvajan Samaj, several dalit-bahujan
scholars thought that this would be the end of Ambedkarism in Uttar
Pradesh, even north India.

Kanshi Ram's death had led to depression in the dalit-bahujan
political circles of the nation. Kanshi Ram was an inspiring and
uncompromising political and intellectual leader and Ms Mayawati was
not seen as a leader in her own right then.

I too was very sceptical of her abilities to lead the Bahujan Samaj
Party in a manner that could help it survive — leave alone coming to
power as it did later.

Once she came to power there was also speculation that she would serve
the brahminical interests — leaving Kanshi Ram's legacy behind.

However, it has now become evident that in the cultural realm she is
simply dalitising the whole state. This was something unexpected. Not
only are districts being renamed after dalit-bahujan icons, but the
very ethos of Uttar Pradesh is undergoing a revolutionary change now.

Ms Mayawati has built many monuments on the Navayana Buddhist theme
(navayana is Pali for new vehicle). Navayana Buddhist refers to the
idea that a Buddhist movement may represent a new yana. Dr Babasaheb
Ambedkar: "I will accept and follow the teachings of Buddha. I will
keep my people away from the different opinions of Hinyan and Mahayan,
two religious orders. Our Bouddha Dhamma is a new Bouddha Dhamma,
Navayan".

The Buddhist and Ambedkar parks that Ms Mayawati is building will
inevitably reduce the spiritual significance of Ayodhya,
Kashi-Benares, Mathura and so on.

By renaming districts after Ambedkar, Phule, Sahuji Maharaj, Rama Bai
(the illiterate first wife of Ambedkar), the dalit-bahujan icons of
Maharashtra and the birthplace of Navayana Buddhism, she has changed
Uttar Pradesh's cultural atmosphere itself.

Of course, Kanshi Ram and Ms Mayawati herself have been elevated as
icons in the process. In Uttar Pradesh, they are not only names of
districts but their statues are being worshipped in Ambedkar parks.

Ms Mayawati's decision to transform the cultural realm of Uttar
Pradesh would certainly have all-India implications. I do not think
that the brahmins of Uttar Pradesh are in a position to resist this
transformation. She has put it on an irreversible course.

The Congress cannot stall this course either. Wherever the Congress is
in power, they have named institutions after Nehru, Indira Gandhi and
Rajiv Gandhi. But they do not have any culturally transformative
implications. Buddha, Ambedkar, Phule, Sahuji Maharaj, Periyar, Kanshi
Ram and so on are not like that. They have serious anti-Hindu cultural
implications. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) knows this but is not
in a position to do anything because it burnt its hands in Ayodhya and
Gujarat. Further, the BJP cannot say that these are anti-national
icons.

Likewise, the Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav cannot
reverse or stop the trend because he has no alternative of his own to
offer. His party is now competing for power for the sake of power,
without constructing any socio-cultural agenda of its own. Its icons,
Ram Manohar Lohia and Charan Singh, do not have much impact in the
cultural realm, unlike Ambedkar.

The fact is that unless icons are associated with alternative
spiritual culture they do not create a following that lasts long. In
the modern period only Ambedkar did that and Kanshi Ram brought that
icon into unbelievable achievability. And Ms

Mayawati's dalit common sense captured that imagination very well.

Even if the Congress, the SP or the BJP come to power they will not be
able to dismantle the Ambedkar parks or rename the districts. Earlier,
Ms Mayawati was in power only for six months each time — that too with
the BJP's support. But now she will be there for full five years and
the chances of her getting re-elected are very high. If she is in
power for 10 years, Uttar Pradesh's cultural history will change
beyond recognition.

Not many know that Kanshi Ram had a vision of constructing the biggest
Ambedkarite Buddha Vihara in Uttar Pradesh along with a massive
international airport in Lucknow. His plan was that Uttar Pradesh
should become a big Ambedkarite Buddhist international tourist centre
so that it could generate a competitive tourist capital.

Ms Mayawati seems to think that she has to fulfil her mentor's dream.
She seems to understand that cultural capital will be more
long-lasting than political and economic capital.

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

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[ZESTCaste] As revenge, panchayat orders Dalit girls’ kidnap

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/national/revenge-panchayat-orders-dalit-girls%E2%80%99-kidnap-791

As revenge, panchayat orders Dalit girls' kidnap

July 7th, 2010
DC Correspondent

Lucknow, July 6: In a bizarre turn of events, a village panchayat in
Greater Noida has ordered that all girls belonging to Dalit
communities would be "picked up" from their homes if Ms Priyanka, a
Brahmin girl who had eloped with Mr Sanjay, a Dalit boy, did not
return home immediately.

As a result of the panchayat diktat, Dalits in the village have
started fleeing and over two dozen families have already left the
village.

"We are poor and cannot prevent the panchayat from carrying out its
orders since this village is dominated by a Brahmin population. To
save the honour of our girls, we are leaving the village," said a
senior member of a Dalit family.

According to reports reaching here, the incident took place in Daula
village in Greater Noida. Mr Sanjay and Ms Priyanka eloped on June 24
and have remained untraceable ever since.

The two fell in love while they were studying in a college in Dadri
two years ago. The two completed their graduation from the college and
started teaching in a private public school. They were sacked from the
school when the school management came to know about their love affair
and the opposition from their respective families.

On June 24, Ms Priyanka went missing and it was assumed that she had
eloped with Mr Sanjay.

When the two did not return, the village panchayat ordered that all
Dalit girls in the village would be "picked up" from their homes as a
"revenge".

The SP of Greater Noida, Mr S.K. Verma, said that security in the
village has been beefed up to ensure the safety of Dalit families.

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

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Indira made Jagjivan Ram scapegoat during Emergency, says biography

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indira-made-jagjivan-ram-scapegoat-during-emergenc.../642628/

Indira made Jagjivan Ram scapegoat during Emergency, says biography

D K Singh Posted online: Tue Jul 06 2010, 08:46 hrs
New Delhi : A biography of former union minister Jagjivan Ram has
claimed that the late prime minister Indira Gandhi used the Dalit
leader as a "bali ka bakra" (scapegoat) during Emergency in an attempt
to remove any possible challenge to her leadership.
The biography in Hindi, Babu Jagjivan Ram: Ek Jivani, has been penned
by writer Mangalmurti. It was released by Union Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker
Meira Kumar here today. Meira Kumar, who is Jagjivan Ram's daughter,
has also written a blurb for the book.

According to the biography, while Jagjivan Ram was used by the
Congress and the government for his popularity and competence, he was
never given any position of eminence because the "prime minister's
chair was deemed to be the birthright of uchchavargiya (high-class)
leaders only".

The author says that Indira did not trust Jagjivan Ram. "Even before
the imposition of Emergency and more so after it, Jagjivan Ram
remained under suspicion, and central intelligence agencies strictly
monitored all those who met him," says the book, citing the writings
of Indira's "confidential sources", apart from some other "reliable
sources".

"It is clear from Indiraji's continuing distrust in him that...
Jagjivan Babu's popularity, political diplomacy (kootnitigyata) and
competence was always taken advantage of by the party and the
government. But when the question of giving him a position of eminence
came, he was always pushed behind — probably because he hailed from
the most neglected, deprived community while the prime minister's
chair was deemed to be the birthright of uchchavargiya leaders only,"
it says.

"Along with Indiraji, Jagjivan Ram was the most senior and competent
leader, who was the most eligible for the post of prime minister
also... The biggest threat was from none other than Jagjivan Ram and
therefore, he was considered the biggest scapegoat to move the
resolution on Emergency," says the biography (page 188).

According to the book, Jagjivan Ram came to know about the imposition
of Emergency only the next morning, but he was asked to move the
resolution supporting it in Parliament a month later. It was because
of this resolution that Jagjivan Ram, who quit the Congress in 1977,
could not even become prime minister in the Janata Party government,
says the author. The arguments given by Jagjivan Ram in support of
Emergency sounded "more like those given by the prime minister's
secretariat," he adds.

The biography says that on February 1, 1977, when Jagjivan Ram was
called by Indira, he suggested the lifting of repressive laws,
restoring full independence to the media and releasing all those
arrested during the Emergency, but she was "not fully convinced".

"After five-seven minutes of the meeting, Jagjivan Babu returned
disappointed," says the book. After his return from the meeting, he
consulted his well-wishers and decided to resign from the party and
the government immediately.

The book is also very critical of Indira for her "increasing
power-driven ambitions" and "personalised politics" that changed the
"basic nationalist character" of the Congress.

When contacted, Sibal said he was not aware of the contents of the
book, and had aready clarified in his speech at the book release
function that he did not endorse the author's views regarding
Emergency.

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

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Now, honour killing rocks TN: Father attacks daughter

[ZESTCaste] Panchayat: Return our girl or we take yours

[ZESTCaste] Maya’s cultural jaal (Maya’s cultural jaal)

[ZESTCaste] As revenge, panchayat orders Dalit girls’ kidnap

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Indira made Jagjivan Ram scapegoat during Emergency, says biography

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