From: Subhashini Ali <subhashiniali@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 4:41 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 16.07.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Cc: prakash@cpim.org
CPIm leaders of Allahabad dst along with aidwa president Subhashini Ali met smt Lalli devi in her village in Phulpur tehsil on 12th July. Lalli Devi has been living with her husband Gulab on a small plot land belonging to the gram sabha for decades. Her in-laws also lived in the small hut. They belong to a poor, basket-making community of dalits. Lalli devi has been dreaming of a small pukka room for years. She had applied for an Indira Awas Yojana and finally she was identified as a beneficiary in 2008. When she tried to construct her house, however, she was stopped by a local mafia, Devi Misra, who claimed the land as his saying that her father-in-law had borrowed money from him and had transferred the land to him. Of course this is patently wrong because gram sabha land cannot be transferred.
Devi Misra also got a stay from the court that stated that the tree on the plot should not be cut and status quo maintained. In June this year, the stay was vacated. Lalli Devi took permission from the thana and started construction.
She and Gulab had collected 8000/- from selling baskets for completion of the construction of the room. They worked night and day and the room came up and the roof was completed by the 3rd of July. On that morning, however, Devi Misra and his goons surrounded Lalli devi's small plot. They beat her husband and Devi Misra himself attacked Lalli devi. He flung her to the ground, abused her and urinated on her face. Then he dragged her out and tied her hands and feet and continued to beat her till her tattered clothes turned to a pile of tatters and she was completely naked in front of her own neighbours at 9 in the morning. Devi's goons destroyed her hut, took away her money including 7000/- from her IAY loan. They broke her utensils and removed the tools that they require for basket-making. And they did not spare her dream-home. They attacked it with rods and lathis. The roof has fallen and the pillars are broken. Like Lallidevis dreams.
Our delegation spoke to the administration. We demanded immediate assistance to Lallidevi, reconstruction of her home, arrest of the criminals who attacked them and their property. We were assured that this will be done
On the 14th morning the SDM finally visited Lalli devi and gave her grain etc.
We will struggle to ensure that Lalli devi gets justice.
This case illustrates many things. The Bsp leaders of the district are anti-dalit and reactionary. Dalits in rural areas are still terrorized. Not one spoke when Lalli devi was being inhumanly abused and assaulted
It is clear that mere election of dalit leaders is not enough to ensure justice. This needs strong organisations and democratic movements.
Subhashini Ali
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 16.07.10
SC/ST funds diverted for the Games: NGO - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071661310400.htm
Dalit cooks in UP schools spark outrage - Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Dalit-cooks-in-UP-schools-spark-outrage/Article1-572984.aspx
Compensation for atrocities victims reviewed - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071660480300.htm
'Nikam diluted caste-hatred angle in Khairlanji case' - DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_nikam-diluted-caste-hatred-angle-in-khairlanji-case_1409846
"Agitation for Dalits cannot be termed as disruption of peace'' - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071650980300.htm
Dalits seek transfer of DC, SP - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071651840500.htm
Dalits charged with power theft stage protest - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071656420300.htm
The Hindu
SC/ST funds diverted for the Games: NGO
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071661310400.htm
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: Expenses for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games have not just overshot by a huge margin the budget that was initially presented, but funds that were meant exclusively for the welfare of reserved categories too have been "illegally diverted" by the Delhi Government to pay for the Games, a non government organisation alleged on Thursday.
The Housing and Land Rights Network has alleged that based on the replies to their queries under the Right to Information, it has come to light that Rs. 571 crore that was part of the Special Component Plan of the Delhi Government and meant exclusively for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes has been diverted for the Games.
"Over the period from 2006-07 to 2009-10 the budget meant for the SCP has been illegally used for funding the Games. RTI queries have revealed that in the same period Delhi Government's Department for the Welfare of SC/ST/OBC/Minorities diverted money from the Scheduled Caste sub plan of Delhi that amounts to Rs. 744.354 Crore," said Miloon Kothari, former UN Special Rapporteur and Executive Director of HLRN.
He went on to add: "This practice shows a serious lapse in the functioning of the Delhi Government and exposes the complete lack of monitoring functions that the Central bodies are supposed to play."
While the official estimates say the Games will cost Rs. 10,000 crore, unofficial estimates said HLRN officials are pegged at Rs. 60,000 crores, including the round-the-clock security cover for the city, the venues and the players.
Paul Divakar, general secretary of the National Dalit Campaign for Human Rights said only 18 Ministries have been allocating funds for the SCP, but are putting in much less than the required allocation. "These are the Games of the rich, by the rich and for the rich, financed by the money of the poor and the needy. Costs for the Games have escalated more than 2,000 percent. Initially we were told that the cost of the Games will be Rs. 1,620 crore, now we hear another Rs.700 crore is being sought and the BCCI has been asked for Rs. 100 crore," said Shalini Mishra of the Housing and Land Rights Network.
Hindustan Times
Dalit cooks in UP schools spark outrage
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Dalit-cooks-in-UP-schools-spark-outrage/Article1-572984.aspx
Haidar Naqvi, Hindustan Times
Kanpur, July 16, 2010
Last Updated: 00:51 IST(16/7/2010)
The Uttar Pradesh government directive to state-run schools on employing Dalit cooks has brought into focus the caste tension that prevails even among primary students.
The issue has acquired greater prominence, with the panchayat elections two months away. In the districts of Kanpur Dehat, Kannauj and Auraiya (all in central UP), an atmosphere of confrontation has been created in 22 primary schools between upper orders and Dalits, with the former refusing to eat what scheduled caste (SC) cooks prepare. The April 24 order says all primary schools having 26-100 students will have to employ two cooks, one of whom must be SC. A school with 101-200 students must have three cooks — one from the general category, one SC, and one from the other backward classes. A school with 201-300 students has to hire two SC cooks, one from the other backward classes, and one from the general category. Each cook is being paid Rs 1,000 a month.
In Kannauj there have been protests on this issue. The parents of upper-caste students assaulted district officials when Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manoj Singhal forced students to have food prepared by an SC woman. Government vehicles were set afire.
Looking to arrest trouble, Kannauj District Magistrate Govind Raju NS has cancelled all the appointments of cooks made by village heads.
Kanpur Dehat District Magistrate SK Tewari has a different take on the issue on the problem in his district.
He said, "People were angry with the local village headman. They prevented their children from going to school as a protest against non-development."
"The issue was twisted and politicised," he said.
The Hindu
Compensation for atrocities victims reviewed
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071660480300.htm
NALGONDA (Andhra Pradesh): The District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee on prevention of atrocities against SCs and STs has reviewed the progress of the pending cases and provision of compensation to the victims under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act here on Thursday.
Collector S.A.M. Rizvi, along with Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar, enquired about the status of the cases.
The officials concerned told the meeting that compensation had been disbursed in respect of 150 cases as against a total of 219 pending cases since 2007 in the district. The Collector directed the officials to expedite the process for payment of compensation to the victims in the remaining 69 cases.
DNA
'Nikam diluted caste-hatred angle in Khairlanji case'
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_nikam-diluted-caste-hatred-angle-in-khairlanji-case_1409846
Jaideep Hardikar / DNAThursday, July 15, 2010 0:48 IST
NAGPUR (Maharashtra): Why did the lower court and the high court not find the caste-atrocity charge tenable against the convicts in the Khairlanji killings case?
The answer, according to sources in the CBI, prosecution and defence, is in the initial lapse in the police investigation. While the Dalit groups continue to decry the attack as caste violence, the fact is that the prosecution could not bring it on record before the court.
Four members of the Bhotmange family — Surekha and her three children — were killed in a mob attack on September 29, 2006.
The case was perceived ascaste violence since the Bhotmanges were Dalits while the accused belonged to the dominant other backward castes (OBC). It triggered riots and violent protests across the state by Dalit organisations.
But, the case records show that the first information report (FIR) lodged by the Andhalhaon police made no mention of the caste background of either the complainant (Bhaiyyalal) or the offenders.
This major lapse under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, legal experts say, weakened the prosecution's case that the killing of Bhaiyyalal's wife Surekha and children was the outcome of caste hatred.
The lower court mentioned in its judgment in September 2007 that the complainant "had not mentioned anything about the casteist abuses by offenders against his family in his initial complaint and had failed to voice it during his testimony".
The high court, on Wednesday, maintained the lower court's ruling that there was no evidence to prove the existence of caste hatred. On the contrary, the court relied on the witnesses and evidence on record to say that this was a case of revenge killing.
Apart from that, during cross-examination of the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Bhandara in the lower court, the defence lawyers had pointed out that the officer had not verified the caste-validity certificate of the Bhotmanges based on the pre-1990 records.
The prosecution argued that the killings were the fallout of caste hatred even though the immediate provocation was Surekha's testimony against the villagers in the Siddharth Gajbhiye case. But the lack of strong evidence coupled with lapses in the FIR weakened the atrocity angle.
To top it all, the prosecution never brought the caste background of either the victims or the accused on record. Only one witness, Mahadev Zanzad, categorically mentioned the caste of the victims and the accused in his testimony. Zanzad was declared hostile after he changed his statement in the court, and the defence argued that his testimony could not be relied upon selectively.
Upset with the verdict, Dalit groups alleged that Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor in the case at the trial stage, "deliberately diluted the caste angle".
"We had complained to the government that advocate Nikam had diluted the case," said Milind Pakhale of the Khairlanji Action Committee, a Dalit political group. "We honour the high court's judgment, but since Nikam did not bring on record the facts about caste hatred before the lower court at the evidence stage, there was no question that the court would have suo motu upheld the atrocity charge."
Reacting to the accusation, Nikam said he was assisted by a CBI counsel. "If I had diluted the case, won't even the CBI lawyers who were with me on the case be accused of the same charge?"
The high court, he said, had stayed the conviction, which is vindication of the fact that they had made a strong case.
The Hindu
"Agitation for Dalits cannot be termed as disruption of peace''
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071650980300.htm
Special Correspondent
| No action taken on Uthapuram Dalits' demands: Ramakrishnan |
VELLORE (Tamil Nadu): Agitation to secure the rights of Dalits can not be construed as disruption of peace, said G. Ramakrishnan, Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxists).
Talking to newspersons here on Thursday, Mr. Ramakrishnan faulted the statement of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi that the people of Uthapuram in Madurai district were living peacefully and that the CPI (M) leaders were instigating the people of Uthapuram. The Dalits in Uthapuram had been demanding government approval for the construction of a bus shelter in the main bus stand with the funds of Rs.3.75 lakh sanctioned by T.K. Rangarajan, CPI (M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP under the MPs Local Area Development Scheme, and permission to worship in Muthalamman Temple. However, the district administration has not taken any action on the demands. It was for this reason that Mr. Rangarajan and others staged an agitation in front of the Madurai Collectorate on Tuesday."The government should not term such an agitation as disruption of peace", he said.
The CPI (M) leader said that while only one portion of the wall that prevented the entry of Dalits into the area inhabited by caste Hindus in Uthapuram was destroyed in 2008, some obstacles still remained on the pathway. The CPI (M) wanted these obstacles to be removed.
Referring to the demand for government approval for the construction of the bus shelter in Uthapuram, he said the Madurai District Collector was saying that the caste Hindus in Uthapuram were objecting to the construction of the bus shelter. The Collector ought to hold talks with both parties and solve the issue, he said.
Mr. Ramakrishnan condemned the "police harassment" of Mr. Rangarajan and CPI (M) workers and Dalits who agitated in front of the Madurai Collectorate on Tuesday.
Referring to the expulsion of C. Govindasamy, CPI (M) MLA of Tirupur from the primary membership of the party, the State Committee Secretary said that the action was taken because Mr. Govindasamy, on Saturday without consulting the party, announced his decision to hold a meeting in Tirupur on August 1 to felicitate the Tamil Nadu government for the schemes implemented in Tirupur.
. "Any party functionary, even if he is an MLA, has to act in political matters only on the advice of the State party leadership", he said.
Mr. Ramakrishnan said that Mr. Govindasamy's announcement of a felicitation meeting for the DMK government was an attempt to join the DMK. The exit of Mr. Govindasamy and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders S. Muthusamy and Chinnasamy and their joining the DMK would neither weaken the Opposition parties, nor strengthen the DMK, he said.
Vellore District CPI (M) Committee secretary A. Narayanan said that the CPI (M) held a taluk conference in Ambur on Thursday protesting against the negligence of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board which allowed incidents such as the deaths of tannery workers while cleaning effluent tanks in Vaniyambadi and other places, and demanding house site pattas for the houseless poor.
The Hindu
Dalits seek transfer of DC, SP
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071651840500.htm
KOLAR (Karnataka): Activists of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti held a procession here on Wednesday demanding the transfer of Deputy Commissioner N. Prabhakar and Superintendent of Police K. Tyagarajan for their alleged anti-Dalit approach. They also held ZP authorities responsible for the "misappropriation of funds earmarked for various projects for Dalits". They submitted a memorandum to ZP president addressed to district in charge and Higher Education Minister Aravind Limbavali. — Staff Reporter
The Hindu
Dalits charged with power theft stage protest
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071656420300.htm
Special Correspondent
KADAPA (Andhra Pradesh): CPI (M) functionaries and Dalits of Vallur mandal headquarters in Kamalapuram constituency staged dharna before the Kadapa Collectorate on Thursday flaying Transco officials for allegedly booking cases of power theft and levying thousands of rupees as penalty on 78 Dalits, who did not take regular power connections.
CPI (M) leaders K. Linga Murthy and A. Ramamohan demanded withdrawal of the cases and penalty. Although the wages increased, it was nullified by the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and poorer sections were not in a position to pay power bills, they asserted.
The protesting Dalits -- Raghu Ramakrishna, Ramachandra, Subbanna and Ramaiah said they had been facing pressure from Transco officials since three years. They recalled that when they represented in Praja Patham in 2008, then Kadapa MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy and then District Collector M.T. Krishna Babu had directed Transco officials not to insist on payment, as the MP promised to grant the required amount under his MPLADs.
Two youth who were charged with power theft were remanded to custody in a bid to intimidate Dalits, the CPI(M) leaders alleged. The Left leaders submitted a representation to Superintending Engineer of Transco Lakshminarayana and he assured to examine and resolve the issue. Former Vallur MPTC member B. Lakshmaiah and leader Pedda Nagasubbaiah participated.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
.................................................................
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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