Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 03.10.12
Than firing: 30,000 dalits hold meet, press for aid, action against cops - Indian Express
Minor Dalit girl raped; mentally challenged assaulted in Haryana - Zee News
Defaced Ambedkar statue replaced after protests - The Times Of India
'Publishers, editors hounded as part of condemnable caste politics' - The Hindustan Times
Indian Express
Than firing: 30,000 dalits hold meet, press for aid, action against cops
Express news service : Rajkot, Wed Oct 03 2012, 05:36 hrs
Around 30,000 dalits on Tuesday held a mega convention in Than area of Surendranagar, where three youths were killed in police firing a few days ago, and demanded immediate arrest of the "accused" policemen, compensation for the affected families and a probe by SIT or CBI instead of CID.
At the convention, held a week after an FIR was lodged against four policemen including two sub-inspectors by CID, the dalits passed resolutions to press their demand.
Dalit leader Raju Solanki said it was an apolitical convention where resolutions were passed and threatened to intensify their protests if their demands were not met.
The resolutions include immediate arrest of the policemen, especially SI K P Jadeja against whom an FIR of murder and criminal conspiracy has been lodged. In another resolution, the dalits have demanded investigation by a special investigation group. "SIT should be led by the officers of the choice of affected families," said Solanki, adding, "Or else hand over the case to CBI." "Its not fair to ask junior level officer to conduct probe against a senior," he added.
In other resolutions, the dalits also demanded Rs 15 lakh compensation to each of the kin of those deceased and Rs 10 lakh the injured. Besides, according to last resolution, the state government should either give affected families 5 acres of land or a government job to at least one the member of affected families.
On September 25, two youths were killed when police opened fire on a mob that was demanding action against Jadeja. On previous night, a minor was also killed in police firing when a mob consists of dalits was demanding action against the Bharwads, whom they alleged of abusing and beating them.
Zee News
Minor Dalit girl raped; mentally challenged assaulted in Haryana
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 03, 2012, 20:45
Chandigarh: Adding to the spree of crimes against women in Haryana, a minor Dalit girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped in Rohtak, while a mentally challenged woman was sexually assaulted in Jind district.
Main accused in both the cases have been arrested.
A 15-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly lured by three women relatives in Kachchi Garhi Mohalla colony of Rohtak and then raped by a youth last evening, police said on Wednesday.
The girl was called out of her house by the accused women and was taken to an abandoned house in a car on the Hisar road on the outskirts of the village where she was raped.
Police have registered a case against five persons, including the three relatives of the victim and also arrested the key accused.
The latest incident occurred in Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's home district Rohtak, where opposition BJP-Haryana Janhit Congress women leaders took out a rally and raised slogans against the Hooda regime for allegedly failing to protect the women of the state.
Yesterday, a mentally challenged woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man in Narwana area Jind.
The accused has been arrested.
The Times Of India
Defaced Ambedkar statue replaced after protests
Purusharth Aradhak, TNN | Oct 3, 2012, 12.36AM IST
GHAZIABAD: Tension erupted in residential colonies along NH-24 after local residents found a damaged statue of dalit icon Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar on the arterial road of Sidharth Vihar in Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad. The statue was found damaged in the chest, neck and shoulder areas. As the news spread, locals gathered and staged a protest. Elders of the colony finally managed to subdue the agitation and filed a complaint with the police.
Considering the gravity of the issue, the administration immediately replaced the damaged statue with a new one. Police suspect it to be the handiwork of some notorious people who are trying to disturb law and order in the district.
Cops said prima facie it appears that the statue may have fallen apart. "However, looking at the damage on the statue, we are not ruling out foul play. A case has been registered under Section 295 (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage sentiment)," police officers said.
The complainant Kamal Jaatav and office bearer of Bahujan Samaj Suraksha Sangh told TOI, "At 5am, people rushed to my house and told me that the Ambedkar statue had been damaged. It seems the miscreants chipped the statue on the left shoulder, chest and neck with a hammer. The left foot is also damaged."
"We demanded that the administration put up a new statue, but at that time none was available. We were told to buy a new statue and the administration would pay for it. Our organization had recently purchased a statue to install in another location, but considering the gravity of the issue we installed it in place of the damaged one," Jaatav said.
"The statue was close to NH-24 and on a construction site for the Noida Extension-Ghaziabad link road. On August 17 we had written to the Ghaziabad magistrate and GDA vice-chairman to remove the statue and install it at a safe place as the construction activity was weakening its foundations, but no action taken. We demand that stringent action be taken against the culprits," Jaatav added.
The protestors blocked NH-24 on Tuesday morning. "After we came to know the incident, we immediately rushed to the scene and another statue of the dalit icon was installed," said an administration official.
The Hindustan Times
'Publishers, editors hounded as part of condemnable caste politics'
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, October 02, 2012
A national conglomerate of rights organisations has come out in support of the two publishers and as many poets-cum-book editors from Barnala and Patiala who are facing legal action for reprinting poetry of the late Babu Rajab Ali that carries caste-denoting words.
"While the SC/ST Act has been withdrawn against editors Sukhwinder Singh Swatantar and Jagjit Singh Sahoke, all four are still accused under section 153 ((promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc) of the IPC. And the SC/ST Act cases still stand against Sangam Publishers' Ashok Garg of Samana (Patiala) and Amit Mittar of Tark Bharti Parkashan, Barnala. This exposes the anti-democratic nature of the government, of the electoral and identity politics, and the conflicted nature of the so-called rule of law," recounts the statement issued by the CDRO (Co-ordination of Democratic Rights Organisations).
The CDRO believes the controversy and protests are "obviously motivated". "By all accounts the four accused have been targeted as they are progressive and Leftist voices supporting rights' struggles of farmers and labourers across communities."
It has also noted that the only reason why charges under SC/ST Act against Sahoke and Swatantar have been dropped is because "it has suddenly dawned on the Punjab police that the two are Dalits, and under the SC/ST Act only non-SCs and non-STs can be accused of atrocities". HT had reported that the police lied about not knowing of the editors' castes while levying the SC/ST act in the first place.
The act was withdrawn two weeks after the September 15 arrests, though three documents prepared right that day in both FIRs at Barnala and Samana mentioned the editors' castes several times. The documents were signed by the DSPs, who are complainants in the cases.
The NGOs have also criticised the "continued application" of section 153 for "constant harassment and intimidation", and also noted that "local electoral and caste politics over benefits of reservations have played a hand".
"Allegations of casteism have been made by some Balmiki and Mazhabi Sikhs…Balmiki organisations have been agitating for sub-reservations of 12.5% alleging that the benefits of reservation are garnered largely by the Chamar community. The Badal government has assured them of restoration of the sub-reservation. Thus, the acts of omission and commission on the part of the administration stand explained."
The CDRO has demanded dropping of all charges against the accused, arrest of officers under the SC/ST Act for atrocities against Swatantar and Sahoke, and for wrongful arrest; arrest of those responsible for filing false FIRs; and removal of section 153 and all such "undemocratic" sections from the IPC.
The CDRO comprises the Association for Democratic Rights, Punjab; Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee; Association for Protection of Democratic Rights and Bandi Mukti Committee, West Bengal; Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, Mumbai; Coordination for Human Rights, Manipur; Human Rights Forum, Andhra Pradesh; Lokshahi Hak Sangathana, Maharashtra; Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, Assam; Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights; Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights, Andhra; People's Committee for Human Rights, J&K; People's Democratic Forum, Karnataka; People's Union for Civil Liberties, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Nagpur, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu units; People's Union For Democratic Rights, Delhi; People's Union for Human Rights, Haryana; and Assansol Civil Rights Association.
--
.Arun Khote
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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