[ZESTCaste] Communal riots in Rajasthan force Dalits to migrate

http://www.milligazette.com/news/685-communal-riots-in-rajasthan-force-dalits-to-migrate-india

Communal riots in Rajasthan force Dalits to migrate
The Milli Gazette
Published Online: Mar 22, 2011
Print Issue: 1-15 March 2011

Husheypur (Rajasthan): Communal riots between Muslim and Dalits in
this village of Alwar district of Rajasthan resulted in large scale
exodus of Dalits to other places. The origin of this unfortunate
situation started on 19 January when a resident of this village, Zahid
Khan, was shot dead by a group of Dalits because a hen was crushed to
death by his tractor.

A fight between his relatives and some Dalits resulted in large scale
communal riots between people of the two communities who had been
living together peacefully for several decades. Muslims of the village
attacked and set on fire homes of many Dalits. Out of fear, people of
Dalit community fled to other places for safety. After more than two
weeks, only elderly women and small children returned to their
destroyed homes but menfolk still remained out of the village as
tension prevailed everywhere.

S.P. of Alwar Mahesh Goyal said that a committee including members of
all communities was formed to resolve the tension and dispute and
police is in touch with members of the Dalit community who are living
at different places. The SP said that security has been provided to
the people of Dalit community but those involved in shooting down of
Zahid Khan are missing. It is not known how many were injured and
arrested but, as always happens, sufferers are people of both
communities.

Whereas Zahid Khan's father Haji Kallu says that everyone, from
government officers to social activists who come here ask us to
maintain peace. 'We want peace but how will I bring up my five
grandchildren and other members of the family.' He further says that
government gave ex-gratia to those whose houses were ransacked 'but no
one asked me if I too need anything.' From the other side, Kamla Devi
says that 'we were never a part of the violence but we also were
targeted.' She says that they looted cash and jewellery she had saved
for her daughter Suman's marriage in May but now she feels helpless.

This article appeared in The Milli Gazette print issue of 1-15 March
2011 on page no. 7

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[ZESTCaste] Women MRPS activists try to storm CM's office

 

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hyderabad/women-mrps-activists-try-to-storm-cms-office/258638.html

Women MRPS activists try to storm CM's office

Express News Service
First Published : 22 Mar 2011 04:24:46 AM IST
Last Updated : 22 Mar 2011 12:32:21 PM IST

HYDERABAD: Over a dozen women activists of the Madiga Reservation
Porata Samithi (MRPS) created a flutter when they made an attempt to
storm the chief minister's office in the Secretariat on Monday.

The alert police, who were stationed in front of the Samatha Block in
the Secretariat foiled their attempt. The police arrested and took
them into custody.

The MRPS activists were demanding that the state government should
lead an all party delegation to Delhi to bring pressure on the Centre
to introduce a bill in Parliament for categorisation of SCs. The women
activists obtained gate passes on the pretext of meeting some
ministers.

After gaining entry into the Secretariat, they gathered in front of
the C Block where the office of the chief minister is located. Chief
Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and director general of police, K
Aravinda Rao were present when the incident took place.

As there were no adequate women police guards in the Secretariat, male
police personnel had tough time controlling them. Women police guards
were rushed from other police stations to arrest the women activists.

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[ZESTCaste] No 'reservations' on quota policy

 

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/mar/220311-news-delhi-High-Court-order-JNU-criteria-for-OBC.htm

No 'reservations' on quota policy
By: Vatsala Shrangi Date: 2011-03-22 Place: Delhi

JNU to change its faulty cut-off criteria for OBC seats after Delhi
High Court order

The three-year-long- struggle of some sections of the student
community in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for proper
implementation of the legally mandated OBC reservations in the
admissions has finally borne fruit.

The University's Academic Council (AC) has asked the varsity
administration to agree to the long-standing demand of the students
and change the faulty cut-off criteria for OBC seats in keeping with
the September 7, 2010 order of the Delhi High Court.

"Finally, the matter has been settled now with the AC accepting that
administration was at fault. We have won our war," said Vismay Bose,
vice-president, All India Students Association (AISA). JNU
Vice-Chancellor S K Sopory has assured that things will be set right.
"The HC verdict will be implemented.

There had been a few inconsistencies within the administration, which
will be sorted out. It is a democratic institution," he said. Student
leaders at the University said that they had held protest marches,
emonstrations, hunger strikes, filed RTI pleas and even taken help of
court to fight this injustice.

House in order: The administrative wing of JNU

"The AC's decision to uphold and implement the Delhi HC verdict is a
significant milestone in ensuring social justice in JNU," said
Ashutosh Sinha, member of Students Federation of India (SFI). There is
however no talk about the fate of some 300 students who had been
refused reservation in the past years owing to the faulty criteria.

"Several other issues need to be addressed by the Academic Council
like the reservation in faculty posts, display of marks of students
seeking admission in JNU, weightage for interviews, and expansion of
recognition for Madarsa certificates in the university. Our struggle
to clinch these issues too to make JNU's admission process socially
inclusive, transparent and democratic will continue," said Shephalika,
president, AISA.

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[ZESTCaste] Caste politics at work in Gujarat

http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1559555.ece

CHENNAI, March 22, 2011
Caste politics at work in Gujarat
Sarah Hiddleston

Modi holds his friends close, his enemies even closer

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi used "caste resentments" to
"tighten his grip on power," after his "autocratic leadership style"
provoked consternation in the Bharatiya Janata Party and forced an
expansion of his Cabinet in 2005, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai
reported.

The August 10, 2005 cable (38300: confidential; only partial extract
accessible), which was issued under the name of Public Affairs Section
Director Linda C. Cheatham days after the expansion, took a close look
at its timing and the allocation of portfolios.

Mr. Modi's moves, the cable explained, were the result of a direction
from BJP president Lal Krishna Advani following criticism from party
members. According to the cable, "Modi consented under the condition
that the BJP appoint a state party president loyal to him. In early
June, Advani kept his part of the bargain when the BJP appointed
Vajubhai Vala as Gujarat BJP president."

The Gujarat Chief Minister made the most of the development, the cable
said, explaining that he "ingeniously weakened his critics by only
appearing to devolve some power to them and by securing pledges of
loyalty."

The cable noted: "Many contacts, including journalists Anosh Malekar
and Uday Mahurkar as well as BJP official Pankaj Mudholkar, told us
that none of the new ministers will have any significant policy-making
clout or sizable budgets that can be diverted for political patronage.
The newcomers received departments such as women and child welfare,
employment guarantee and fisheries. The CM and his core supporters
still control the most important portfolios, such as Home, Finance,
Industry, Irrigation and Rural Development."

"Modi timed the expansion of the cabinet," the Mumbai Consulate cable
pointed out "to take advantage of the absence of the leader of the
rebels, former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel. Patel is
currently in the U.S., where his wife is undergoing medical treatment.
Modi reportedly focused on two influential Patel supporters and
enticed them to join his cabinet under conditions that Patel himself
would probably never have supported."

The Consulate's reading was that Mr. Modi appeared to "be using the
cabinet expansion to change the power equation among castes."

The cable elaborated: "Tensions between the sizeable, landowning and
better-off Patel caste and … 'Other Backward Castes' (OBC) have long
simmered in Gujarat's politics. Modi belongs to a small and
economically weak OBC group…Our contacts tell us nine of the 11 new
cabinet members are from the OBC grouping. They are also drawn evenly
from all regions of Gujarat. Having effectively manipulated religious
strife to strengthen his power base during and after the 2002 riots in
Gujarat, Modi is now using caste/class resentments within Hinduism to
tighten his grip, many of our contacts believe."

The Mumbai Consulate surmised that the refusal of BJP MLA (and a VHP
member) Govardhan Zhadapia to take the Cabinet posting offered to him,
and the appointment of Purushottam Solanki, wanted by the Mumbai
police for "extortion," could potentially alienate both VHP and urban
middle class voters.

However, the confidential cable concluded that "in a BJP beset by
internal struggles, Mr. Modi's revival sets him up nicely to influence
the king making when the time comes." In fact, he seemed "stronger
than at any time since the rebels took their opposition public" —
indeed a "force to be reckoned with."

(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the
US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via Wikileaks.)

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[ZESTCaste] OBC body to listen to Jats

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/OBC-body-to-listen-to-Jats/articleshow/7759031.cms

OBC body to listen to Jats
Vishwa Mohan, TNN | Mar 22, 2011, 04.58am IST

NEW DELHI: With Jats continuing to agitate for reservation in central
government jobs, the government has decided to change rules to allow
National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) – a central body
empowered to make such recommendation — examine the demand and receive
representation from the community.

"Rules governing the functioning of NCBC are required to be amended as
the existing provision does not permit the commission to review its
earlier order of denying reservation to Jats in central government
jobs," a senior official said.

He said rules could easily be changed through executive orders by the
ministry of social justice. It is expected to be done this week. The
change in rules will allow the commission to hear pleas of Jat
representatives and act accordingly, he added.

Officials privy to the decision, however, resisted from giving any
time-frame, saying it would depend on the commission which, being an
autonomous body, would take its own time considering many
socio-economic factors of the community.

The decision is, however, fraught with the danger of opening a
Pandora's box as it may pave the way for other castes to seek the same
status. Apart from Jats, there are a number of castes which get
reservation in one or the other state but are not included in the
central OBC list.

Meanwhile, the government's Crisis Management Group on Monday decided
to send over 1,000 RAF personnel to Haryana where the Jats continue to
disrupt rail and road traffic.

Premier trains make way for goods' movement: In a first in the history
of Northern Railways, at least five important express trains,
including the Kalka Shatabdi and the Himalayan Queen, have been
cancelled for two consecutive days on March 22-23 in order to allow
goods trains an uninterrupted run across the state of Haryana, Punjab
and Rajasthan. "We have been forced to take the decision after food
grains began to rot in various godowns in North India. The coal supply
in four power stations is now on the brink.

While the Barbela Power station is already shut, at least three others
are on the verge of a shutdown. Hence, we decided to go ahead and
allow the movement of essential commodities as otherwise lakhs of
people would have been inconvenienced at the cost of a few thousand,"
said a senior officer at Baroda House. "Due to Jat agitation, many
passenger and goods trains have been affected. This has resulted in
acute inconvenience to passengers and serious problem in the movement
of cargo trains," added the official. In all, a total of 54 trains
have been cancelled on Monday while another 73 trains have been
cancelled for Tuesday.

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