From: Subhashini Ali <subhashiniali@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 5, 2010 at 8:43 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 04.05.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
A dalit landless worker,
Sukai Ram, was murdered during the night of 8/9 April. His battered body was found on the main road near Atraulia Block HQ not far from his village. The police removed his body for post-mortem without even trying to contact his family.
When this news spread, people spontaneously collected; his family members also arrived and all of them resorted to a roadblock. The dsst secy of CPI(M) and some party workers were also present. The police soon arrived and the SHO assured the agitators that the culprits would be arrested in 48 hours.
Unfotunately no action was taken. Even the mandatory payment of 1 lac ex gratia to the orphaned children who had lost their mother earlier was not done.
All political parties in the area including BSP have not done anything. In fact, there have been reports that the culprits are being shielded by political leaders. This angered the people in the area and this was expressed in their decision to boycott a BSP ministers' programme in the area on May Day. As a result, the programme was cancelled
On May 2nd, the CPI(M) organised a dharna at the spot where Bikai Ram's body was found. Subhashini Ali also participated in the programme which was presided over by Ved Upadhyaya, DC Secy Azamgarh. The SDM arrived and said that now the ex gratia would be paid in a week. Sukai Ram's daughters responded angrily saying that they wanted justice not money.
Demanding the presence of a senior police officer, all the participants that included a large number of women, blocked the road for nearly an hour and got up only when the SP arrived. He announced that the police now knew who the culprits were and 2 of their relatives had just been taken into custody. He assured the people there that the culprits would definitely be booked.
What was remarkable was the tremendous resentment against the Govt among the people who all belonged to the Dalit community. The participation by dalit youth and women in large numbers and their anger and militancy were all remarkable.
SUBHASHINI ALI
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 04.05.10
Dalits burn Modi's effigy; seek his removal - The Tribune
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100504/haryana.htm#11
Raja targeted as he's a Dalit, says Karunanidhi - The Times Of India
NCSC raps Karna govt for 'failure' to utilise funds for SCs - Zee News
http://www.zeenews.com/news622562.html
Dalit groups spread green message - Cath News India
http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2010/05/03/dalit-groups-spread-the-green-message/
The Tribune
Dalits burn Modi's effigy; seek his removal
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100504/haryana.htm#11
Bhanu P Lohumi, Tribune News Service
Karnal, May 3 Members of the Dalit community today burnt an effigy of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in protest against the "derogatory" remarks made by him against BR Ambedkar.
The activists collected at Committee Chowk and raised slogans against Modi. The BSP leaders alleged that Modi had on April 26 compared the Dalits to "handicapped persons" and used derogatory words for the architect of the Indian Constitution too.
Former BSP state general secretary Raj Singh Chauhan said a memorandum would be sent to president Prathiba Patil demanding action against Modi.
The BSP also sought the resignation of Modi for hurting the sentiments of the community.
The Times Of India
Raja targeted as he's a Dalit, says Karunanidhi
TNN, May 4, 2010, 04.53am IST
NEW DELHI: DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Monday put his foot down against any move to sack A Raja as the telecom minister, saying the minister was being targeted because he was a Dalit.
"Raja is a Dalit. That is why dominant forces are levelling malicious charges against him," Karunanidhi said when asked about the Opposition's demand for Raja's dismissal in the light of allegations of a mega-scam in 2G spectrum allocation.
Karunanidhi was talking to reporters after his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and, early on, with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, though there was no confirmation that the issue of Raja's continuation figured in the conversations.
Raja's defence, which came on a day when AIADMK members with some backing from Opposition groups forced an adjournment of Lok Sabha over 'spectrumgate', raises the cost for Congress to insist on the removal of the telecom minister, while increasing the prospect of a continued confrontation. AIADMK demanded that the Prime Minister make a statement on the issue.
Congress, which has never been enthusiastic to defend the telecom minister against the charges of corruption, seems to be getting ready to stand by him.
"There is nothing in the realm of proof and credible evidence," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters while defending Raja. Hinting that acting against Raja would not be as easy as in the case of Shashi Tharoor, Singhvi pointed out that the telecom minister did not belong to Congress.
Another spokesman Manish Tiwari attacked the Opposition by recalling that the BJP had allowed mobile phone operators to migrate from the licence-fee paying regime to the revenue-sharing arrangement causing a massive loss of Rs 60,000 crore to the exchequer.
Zee News
NCSC raps Karna govt for 'failure' to utilise funds for SCs
http://www.zeenews.com/news622562.html
Updated on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 15:52 IST
Bangalore: The NCSC Wednesday rapped the Karnataka Government for its "failure" to utilise Central grants meant for the welfare of the SCs and expressed utter dismay over 'non-action' against 4,200 persons who secured employment producing "false caste certificates".
Mounting a barrage of attack on the state government, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Commission Chairman Buta Singh accused it of non-implementation of programmes drawn up for SCs welfare and non-utilisation of Central grants under special component plan (SCP).
During the 11th Plan, the state spent only Rs 6,004 crore as aginst the allocation of Rs 9,063.06 crore under the SCP, which "is a wilful act", he told reporters here.
Speaking after a state-level review meeting of economic and social development of SCs here along with top state officials, Singh said, "4,200 persons are serving in Government of Karnataka on false caste certificates. But unfortunately no action is taken against them, so that they retire safely".
He also said Karnataka stood sixth in the country in crimes committed against SCs.
"The rate of conviction is just 2.03 per cent, the lowest in the country. The overall picture is depressing," he said, adding it was 17.5 per cent in Bihar, 13.3 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 26.9 per cent in Assam.
Singh lashed out at the state government for implementing reservation benefits only for 15 per cent of SC population, falling short by 1.62 per cent of the constitutionally guaranteed quota.
"The Commission cannot digest this. There is no roaster list in Karnataka and this has resulted in non-identifying the number of backlog posts due to SCs," Singh said.
Law stipulates that every state should have a Chief Liaison Officer to monitor implementation of programmes for SCs. However, there is no such officer in Karnataka.
State Chief Secretary S V Ranganath, who was also present, said the government would furnish replies to the issues raised by the Commission in two days.
Cath News India
Dalit groups spread green message
http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2010/05/03/dalit-groups-spread-the-green-message/
Published Date: May 3, 2010
A Jesuit center in Kolkata has brought together Dalit cultural groups to spread the message of the need to protect the environment.
A five-day program of the Udayani (awakening) Social Action Forum (USAF) organized three Dalit groups with musical and dramatic performances.
They played in the city's schools, the main prison and St Xavier's College, Kolkata, and in the villages of Sonarpur and Raghabpur.
"If nature is destroyed, agriculture will be destroyed. And, if agriculture is destroyed, our culture will be destroyed, and that will be death of humanity," Manimaran Magizhini, 34, coordinator of the Chennai-based Budhar Kalai Kuzhu (Buddha cultural troupe) said.
His troupe brought "parai" the dalit drums, and performed an hour-long program depicting agricultural activities.
"Dalits are the most authentic people who could spread the message to save nature, because our culture is entirely dependent on natural resources," Magizhini told UCA News.
Two of his troupe members are priests of Chenglepet diocese near Chennai.
Swajan Sanskriti Mancha (own-people cultural forum), based in Baruipur, 40 kilometers south of Kolkata, performed folk songs showing how the earth makes no distinctions of caste, creed or religion.
Another cultural troupe from Matua Dalit community also performed folk and spiritual songs related to nature at a program at St Xavier's College April 30.
Research scholar on Matua community, Birat Bairagya, said the community always begins the farming season with prayers to nature, such as water, earth, and cattle. Their festival songs invite people to care for earth, Bairagya told UCA News.
Udayani director Jesuit Father Probal Gomes said the Dalit cultural exchange program was envisaged as a spiritual awakening among the Dalits, the oppressed groups outside caste system, of the south and north India, and to build bonds between them.
--
.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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