From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 6:03 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 09.02.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 09.02.10
Temple blocking way to Dalit colony demolished - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/09/stories/2010020959140400.htm
Orissa Dalit families seek justice - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/09/stories/2010020956150600.htm
Two-day MP Police workshop on SC, STs from Feb 9 - The Pioneer
http://www.dailypioneer.com/BHOPAL/Bhopal.html
Uttar Police claim major crackdown on Maoists (Second Lead) - Thaidian News
The Hindu
Temple blocking way to Dalit colony demolished
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/09/stories/2010020959140400.htm
K.V. Prasad
| Idol was relocated and consecrated before operation was carried out |
COIMBATORE: A 100 sq.ft. temple on Jeeva Street at Singanallur here was demolished on Monday to enable full use of the street by a colony of Dalit families. The demolition, under police protection, opened up vehicle movement to the colony.
On January 30, authorities had demolished a wall that blocked access to the arterial Kamaraj Road for 58 Dalit families of Thanthai Periyar Colony. It was allegedly built across Jeeva Street to separate the colony of Dalits from a residential area of caste Hindus. The Dalits alleged that it was built 19 years ago to ensure that they did not pass through the colony of caste Hindus.
Though the wall was demolished, the temple was left alone in the face of a protest by Hindu outfits.
The authorities wanted to relocate it only on the basis of consensus.
It had held talks last week on shifting the temple that was located in the colony of the caste Hindus.
Supervised by senior officials, a special demolition squad of the civic body removed the structure after the idol of Lord Vinayaka was relocated and consecrated on a platform near an Amman temple. There was no resistance.
"First, the wall that stood as a symbol of discrimination for many years was demolished. Now, the temple also has been removed. Justice has been rendered to us," said V. Rajan, a resident of the Dalit colony. "The younger generation in the colony was determined to do away with the discrimination that our elders had to put up with," the 37-year-old Mr. Rajan said. "More than the mere physical block created by the wall, the discrimination it symbolised hurt us." State convenor of the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front P. Sampath appreciated the State government's speedy action to remove the wall and the temple.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary N. Varadarajan welcomed the shifting of the idol.
He had written to Chief Minister M. Karunandhi on Sunday seeking the removal of the temple. District convener of the Front, U.K. Sivagnanam, alleged that the temple was being used as a cattle shed. It was made into a temple only to block the road.
The Hindu
Orissa Dalit families seek justice
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/09/stories/2010020956150600.htm
Staff Reporter
BHUBANESWAR: Failing to get justice in the home constituency of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, dalit families belonging to washermen community here on Monday pleaded for respite from casteist ostracisation.
"We have been imposed a fine of Rs. 1,50,000 for return to our own village. The only fault of ours' is that we demanded Rs. 50 for washing clothes of a person throughout the year. Earlier we were paid Rs. 20 annually to do the demeaning work," says Pradip Kumar Sethi of Thuruburai village under Shergarh block of Ganjam district.
Narrating the unending agony they had to face, Mr. Sethi says: "our children have already discontinued their education, women members are living separately and male members are running from pillar to post to put an end to the ostracisation order delivered by the upper caste villagers."
"Members of 13 families have reached a stage from where they could lose their mental balance. We sat on a dharna in front of tehesildar office, approached Revenue Divisional Commissioner and lodged a complaint in police station. Administration remained apathetic to the issue," says Bhimsen Sethi, another victim.
"Chief Minister at a stroke of pen raised thousands of rupees in salary of government employees across the State. He raised daily wage of labourers. Was our demand unjustified to demand Rs. 50 to wash clothes for one year?" he has quipped.
Two persons from washermen communities say all dalit families had already paid Rs. 21,000 to earn peace in the village.
However, they have been attacked by unscrupulous elements in the village.
"We are not allowed to harvest our crop this year," says Pradip Sethi.
Advisor of Orissa Gotimukti Andolan (OGA) that spearheads movement against such casteist discrimination, Baghambar Patnaik, says, "this is a shame for administration which is listening to diktat of upper caste villagers. It seems these washermen families do not have any rights to choose a profession."
"This is not the lone case. For past one decade, hundreds of barbers' families in Puri district have been fighting to defend their self-esteem by refusing to wash feet and cut hair of upper caste people at paltry annual payment," Mr. Patnaik points out.
The Pioneer
Two-day MP Police workshop on SC, STs from Feb 9
http://www.dailypioneer.com/BHOPAL/Bhopal.html
Staff Reporter | Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh Police is organising a two-day training workshop from February 9 inorder to sensitise the police officials regarding Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribes, women, children and other weaker sections of the society.
The officials would be updated with different aspects of human rights and legal aspects of crimes against different sections of the society.
Chairman of Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission, Justice DM Dharmadhikari would inaugurate the training workshop. Director General of Police (DGP) SK Rout would also be present on the occasion. Members of Madhya Pradesh Human Rights, Vijay Shukla, IG AJK Ashok Awasthi, Commissioner Schedule Caste Welfare Salina Singh, former Director of Medico Legal Institute DK Satpathi, Psychologist Kakoli Ria, Former IG NL Dongare, Raka Arya and Pratima Mathew would express their views on women related issue at three sessions of first day of the workshop.
Principal Secretary of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department Devraj Virdi, ADG AJK VK Singh, IG AJK Ashok Awasthi, Rajiv Garg, Satish Dinkar and Prakash Shewde would address the workshop on the second day.
Over 90 officials of Additional SP and Sub-Superintendents rank and TIs posted in AJK and women police stations would participate in the workshop. The workshop would commence at Police Training and Research Institute (PTRI) from 10.30 am.
Thaidian News
Uttar Police claim major crackdown on Maoists (Second Lead)
February 9th, 2010 - 12:30 am ICT by IANS
Lucknow, Feb 8 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh police Monday claimed to have neutralized a major Maoist group in the state with the arrest of eight "active members" of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist in Kanpur district and two People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) activists on Sunday.
State Director General of Police Karamveer Singh told a press conference here Monday: "With the arrest of as many as 10 Maoist leaders from different parts of the state over the past 24 hours, we have pushed their terror network at least 10 years behind."
He described the operation as a "result of two years of sustained tracking of the Maoist group."
Eight top Maoists were arrested by the state's Special Task Force (STF) from Kanpur on Monday while two were taken into custody from Gorakhpur and Allahabad on Sunday. Those arrested on Sunday were People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) state secretary Seema Azad and her husband Vishwa Vijay, was also a PUCL activist.
Even as PUCL leaders took strong offence to the arrest of the couple, terming the STF action as a "frame-up", the state police chief claimed, "This group of Maoists had plans to unleash major violence and make strikes at different places in UP and Uttarakhand, where they were also planning a heavy anti-India propaganda blitz."
According to him, "The arrested persons were in Kanpur to get seditious literature printed." He said, "We have enough evidence to establish that this particular group had been involved in repeated strikes in different places in Bihar, including killing of special armed guards in Raniganj and Gaya, besides murder of a railway employee at Jha-jha railway station."
Describing the arrested people as activists of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Karamveer Singh alleged, "There was enough reason to believe that they were plotting against the state."
He also suspected the arrested people had nexus with Maoists engaged in anti-India campaign in Nepal. "We will also be probing their connections with Maoists in Nepal."
The arrested were identified as 51-year-old Balraj alias Baccha Prasad, a resident of Chapra district (Bihar) who was an alleged member of the banned outfit's Central Committee and its Politburo, Chintan alias Banshi Dhar Singh (64) hailing from Champaran, Bihar, Naveen Prasad Singh, 54, a resident of Patna, who was also a member of Bihar zonal committee and convenor of Tactical United Front of CPI (Maoist).
Among the others were Ambareesh (40), resident of Banka, Bihar, who was a member of the Uttar Pradesh State Organising Committee, Deepak (24), resident of Samastipur, Kripa Shankar (35) hailing from Kushinagar, besides Shiv Raj Singh (66) and Rajendra Kumar (33), based in Uttarakhand.
While Balraj was described as a science graduate, Chintan holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and was regarded as the organisation's think-tank.
Police said they have seized seditious literature, CDs, pen drive, Rs.8.16 lakh in cash from the arrested persons.
When the DGP's attention was drawn to PUCL's protest against the arrests, he shot back, "Those sympathizing with the arrested persons and trying to label them as social workers ought to realize that they are running the risk of associating with anti-nationals."
Retired IPS officer S.R. Darapuri, who was state vice president of PUCL, proposes to lead a protest demonstration against the arrests in Lucknow on Feb 13.
Expressing shock at the arrest of PUCL activists Seema Azad and her husband Vishwa Vijay, he asserted, "Possessing Maoist literature is no crime. Cops have been targeting human rights activists and branding them as Maoists; we will oppose such oppression tooth and nail," Darapuri told IANS.
Replying to questions on the arrest of Seema, who was also the editor of a monthly magazine 'Dastak', that was involved in raising issues relating to the rights of tribals and Dalits in and around Allahabad-Mirzapur region, the state police chief asserted, "The arrests were made after prolonged investigation, which clearly revealed their involvement in anti-national activities."
More at : Uttar Police claim major crackdown on Maoists (Second Lead) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/uttar-police-claim-major-crackdown-on-maoists-second-lead_100317022.html#ixzz0f2brAu42
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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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