From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 08.04.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 08.04.10
Death for 16 Ranvir Sena men - The Telegraph
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100408/jsp/nation/story_12314143.jsp
Manual scavenging on despite ban - The Tribune
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100408/cth2.htm
Mahadalit Commission totally unconstitutional, illegal: Buta - Bihar Times
http://bihartimes.com/Newsbihar/2010/April/Newsbihar08April2.html
Subsidised loans for SC, ST entrepreneurs, says - Express Buzz
The Telegraph
Death for 16 Ranvir Sena men
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100408/jsp/nation/story_12314143.jsp
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Patna, April 7: A Bihar court today awarded death sentences to 16 members of an erstwhile army of upper caste landlords and life-terms to 10 others for the massacre of 58 Dalits at Laxmanpur-Bathe village in Jehanabad district 13 years ago.
While pronouncing the verdict, additional district and sessions judge (I), Patna, Vijay Prakash Mishra described the December 1, 1997, killing as a "stigma on civil society and rarest of rare cases of brutality."
More than 40 members of the dreaded Ranvir Sena, a militia group of Bhumihar upper castes, used guns and swords to butcher 58 people, including 27 women and 10 children, in Jehanabad.
But, the mastermind of the killing, Ranvir Sena founder Barmeshwar Mihiya, and another person, were never brought to book as they are "absconders" in police records.
Of the 46 accused, charges were framed against 44. Of the 44, the court acquitted 18 people, for "lack of evidence". Those served life-terms were also fined Rs 50,000 each.
Defence lawyer Sunil Kumar said today's lower court order would be challenged in the high court.
Laxmanpur-Bathe village is located on the southern bank of river Sone which the armed Ranvir Sena men had crossed in boats to unleash an orgy of violence that shocked the nation.
The massacre was a result of a series of clashes between upper caste Bhumihars and farm workers, primarily Dalits, enjoying the patronage of the then Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and CPI-ML which later merged to form CPI (Maoist).
In March 1999, the Maoists admittedly avenged the Laxmanpur-Bathe carnage by massacring as many as 34 Bhumihar men, aged 19 to 34 years, at the adjoining Senari village in Gaya district.
The retaliatory attack on Senari, an affluent village of upper caste Bhumihars, virtually led to the dismantling of the Ranvir Sena with the Maoists gaining in strength and fire power.
Prosecution lawyer C.K. Sinha described the court's verdict as an "achievement" of the Nitish Kumar government which has facilitated speedy trials in pending cases.
"The Laxmanpur-Bathe case was pending with no witnesses turning up and the police sitting over it. But it was only in December 2008, that charges were framed against the accused Ranvir Sena men. The government also instructed the police to follow up on the case and ensure the presence of witnesses which has resulted in justice today," said Rajesh Kumar, another prosecution lawyer.
The case was initially registered in a Jehanabad court. It was transferred to the Patna district and session's court in 1999 on the orders of the Patna High Court.
The Tribune
Manual scavenging on despite ban
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100408/cth2.htm
Gurdeep Singh Mann, Tribune News Service
Bassi Pathana (Fatehgarh Sahib), April 7
Even after six decades of independence, manual scavenging still goes on unabated in various districts of Punjab, including Fatehgarh Sahib.
Members of the Safai Karmchari Andolan have identified 12 scavengers in Bassi Pathana, who clean night soil of influential people for Rs 30 a month.
The scavengers, most of them in their sixties, said they had been working for the past 20 years.
"There is no sewerage connection in some houses of Bassi Pathana and influential families have dug septic tanks.
After a few years, people like us, have to clear these septic tanks," said Krishna, a 63-year-old scavenger in Bassi Pathana. She said there were five more persons doing the job, including three men.
Her colleagues said several times senior government functionaries had met them and assured jobs, but to no avail.
"During elections, people approach us and offer rehabilitation. We are even urged to leave this work, but no one tells us the alternative. These claims fall flat after sometime," said the scavengers.
Subhash Divasar, a member of Safai Karmchari Andolan, today submitted a memorandum to the Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner today.
He said, "Despite declaring scavenging an illegal act in 1993, practice goes on unabated till date. He said the owner of dry toilets could be put behind bars for one year, besides a fine of Rs 2,000."
He claimed that the municipal council, Bassi Pathana, and the Safai Karamchari Andolan had jointly found 12 private safai karamcharis cleaning dry night soil and had come across 23 such toilets in the town.
He said notices were issued to owners of these toilets and only four such toilets were razed and the rest continued to exist.
He said such practice was on in Amritsar, Patiala, Sangrur and Jalandhar Cantt.
Owners of these toilets said they did not have any other option but to employ people to clean their dry night soil, as there was no sewerage system in the town and lack of money and space to construct septic tanks.
Deputy Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan when contacted said instructions had been passed to the municipal council through an executive official to immediately construct community toilets under the low cost sanitation scheme to end scavenging.
EO Charanjit Singh added that a 15-day notice had been served on owners and the structures would be demolished by tomorrow. "We will replace demolished structures with temporary toilets," he said.
Bihar Times
Mahadalit Commission totally unconstitutional, illegal: Buta
http://bihartimes.com/Newsbihar/2010/April/Newsbihar08April2.html
Patna,(BiharTimes): Dubbing the state Mahadalit Commission as totally unconstitutional and illegal the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairman Buta Singh on Tuesday accused the Nitish Kumar government of not providing the benefits of reservation to the Dalit community in Bihar.
Talking to reporters after a three-member panel of the Commission held a high level meeting with state chief secretary Anup Mukherjee and other state officials Buta said that the reservation which the Scheduled Caste people should enjoy is not being properly implemented in the state.
Buta also charged that even the benefits of the centrally-sponsored welfare scheme were not properly reaching the community.
Buta said the SC community deserved 16 per cent reservation in jobs, education, and another related services in Bihar but it is not being adhered to in the true spirit.
Buta, who also served as Bihar governor, said he would submit a report to President Pratibha Patil within a month providing details about the condition of the Dalits. He further alleged that even the fund under special component programme and other welfare schemes formulated for the uplift of the Scheduled Caste people were not being fully implemented in Bihar.
Coming down heavily on the Nitish Kumar government for setting up a Mahadalit Commission, the NCSC chairman said he had already declared the Mahadalit Commission as unconstitutional and illegal.
"Even the word dalit is unconstitutional. "We should call it Scheduled Caste community according to the Constitution," he said.
He said that under Article 338 of the Constitution such a body can be formed only after the approval of the National Commission for Schedule Castes. This did not happen in Bihar.
Buta's remark came a day after former MLA, Om Prakash Paswan, demanded the dissolution of the Mahadalit Commission.Meanwhile, the Janata Dal United MLA and president of Hum Dalit, Dr R R Kanujia, criticized Buta's statement and called it politically motivated.
Whatever be Dr Kanaujia's view Buta's stand on the Mahadalit Commission came as a big surprise as, of late, he is considered close to the present government in Bihar. Only last month the Bihar government announced that it paid Rs 3.13 lakh from the Bihar Contingency Fund as 'penal rent' imposed on Buta Singh for illegally occupying a bungalow in New Delhi for 20 months from March 2004 to November 2005. He was the governor of Bihar during that period.
Not only that the Janata Dal United supported his candidature as an Independent candidate from Rajasthan in the last Lok Sabha election.
Express Buzz
Subsidised loans for SC, ST entrepreneurs, says
SANGAREDDY/WARANGAL: Minister for Tourism and Information J Geeta Reddy has said that the government would extend loans with 35 per cent subsidy to enthusiastic SC and ST entrepreneurs for setting up industries. For women, an additional subsidy of five per cent will be given, she said.
The Minister was participating in the birth anniversary celebration of Babu Jagjivan Ram held under the aegis of the District Social Weflare Department. She garlanded the statue of Jagjivan Ram at the new bus station and later addressed a public meeting. District in charge Collector Vijay Kumar was also present.
The Congress Government, she said, had introduced several progeramme for the welfare of the SCs and STs. The government has decided to extend loans with subsidy for the welfare of unemployed youth. She urged the youth to make use of the schemes.
Late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy had organised `Sankshema Bata' for taking up repairs and to ensure development of welfare hostels. He had sanctioned Rs 2.60 crore, she recalled and stated that Rs 1.45 lakh of the funds has already been released. Over 72 works have been completed with the funds and another 55 works are in various stages of completion, she said.
The Congress Government, she said, has decided to organise 'Praja Patham' this month with an aim to find out the problems being faced by the people in summer and resolve them soon. She directed the in charge collector to begin the programme from SC colonies in villages.
With regard to the distribution of land to the poor scheduled to begin on April 14, she directed the officials to get the consent for the list of beneficiaries in the assignment committee meetings. Hailing the services of Babu Jagjivan Ram for the upliftment of Dalits, she said all Dalits should tread the path of prosperity taking Ram as an ideal.
She also directed the in charge collector to appoint chairman for the SC, ST Commission and ensure that complaints related to bankers failing to extend loans to the above sections be resolved soon.
Local MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy, Zilla parishad chairman M Balaiah, municipal chairperson M Vijayalakshmi, Social Welfare Department deputy director Lakshmi Sudha and Dalit leaders Rama Rao, Sanjeevaiah, Ramachandraiah and others were present.
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On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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