Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 09.10.15
Denied entry in temple, Dalits launch protest - The Times Of India
In Jodhpur, Dalit family lives in fear after boy touches non-Dalit's plate -The Indian Express
Dalit's to hold 'mega rally' for reservation in Delhi - The Times Of India
Evicted from Gabela, Dalit group protests at Doon - The Times Of India
Dalit outfits force cancellation of interview in college - The Hindu
GRI assures to repay fees to SC/ST students - The Hindu
Please Watch:
A Voice for Dalit Women in India: Ruth Manorama
Speaks Out Against Caste-Based Discrimination
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1qHIL9_Cs4
Note: Please find attachment for DMW Hindi (PDF)
International Business Times
Uttar Pradesh: Police strip Dalit couple in Greater Noida
who insisted on filing FIR for robbery
| Updated: October 8, 2015 22:19 IST
A Dalit man and wife were reportedly stripped by the police in Greater Noida in Gautam Budh Nagar on Thursday after they insisted on registering an FIR for alleged robbery.
According to a report, Sunil Gautam was robbed by miscreants on Wednesdaynight near Atta in Noida. He went to Dankaur police station in Greater Noida on Thursday to register an FIR along with his wife and baby.
The police, however, refused to file a complaint. The couple then staged a protest outside the police station alleging inaction on part of the men in khaki. Irked by this, the policemen allegedly beat up the couple and tore off their clothes.
Hindi daily Haribhoomi shared the pictures of the alleged incident on Facebook. A purported video of the incident involving the Dalits is also doing its rounds on social media. [Watch the viral video shared on Facebook here]
The daily, citing the Dalit couple, reported that the station house officer (SHO), instead of listening to the couple, misbehaved with them and later tore their clothes on the street.
The report also said that the police, following the incident, arrested five people, including three women under IPC Sections 307, 232, 323, 147, 148, 353, 294, 394. However, it was not known if the couple were among those booked in the case.
After the video of the incident raked up a major storm on social media, the UP government under chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has now accused the dalit victims of having orchestrated the incident.
An official Twitter account belonging to the Government of UP quoting the Superintendent of Police of the Noida area said: "Noida police is in possession of the alleged video of the alleged stripping; it clearly seen the accused disrobes/others.The witnesses present at the incident also corroborate the same; the video is circulated to undermine the efforts of the police."
The Times Of India
Denied entry in temple, Dalits launch protest
Kautilya Singh,TNN | Oct 8, 2015, 01.13 PM IST
DEHRADUN: After being "forcefully" removed from their village, group of Dalits from Gabella village, who were denied permission to enter the temple, sat on a hunger protest outside the Gandhi Park of Dehradun on Thursday morning.
On a written complaint by the villagers, the district authorities and police staff took away the protestors from the village late on Wednesday.
While Daulat Kunwar, who was heading the protest was admitted to government hospital at Vikas Nagar, the others were treated at different locations.
On October 5, Kunwar under the aegis of his organisation Aaradhna Gramin Vikas Kendra, had taken out a 10 day yatra of the area for the "welfare of Dalits."
First he was not permitted to hold a rally at Quansi village and thereafter denied entry in the temple at Gabela village, about 130 km from state capital.
"If district and police authorities think that by removing us from the village they can deter us from our mission, then they are wrong. We will stick to our demand, we will continue to hold protest till the time we get an entry in the temple with due respect," Kunwar told TOI on Thursday morning.
He also claimed that a bag, in which his wife had kept some gold ornaments and Rs 50,000 for the yatra were missing. "We were forcefully removed and during that time, the bag has gone missing," he claimed.
Meanwhile, narrating the incident of October 5, Gabela village pradhan Jeetendra Sharma said, "Our village god does not want them to enter the temple while playing loud music and drums. Under the influence of our God, a group of people prevented them from entering the temple as per the directions of the almighty."
Sharma claimed that everyone was permitted to offer prayers at the temple, "but as Kunwar is using this yatra for political gains, our God through his messengers stopped him for entering the temple."
The Indian Express
In Jodhpur, Dalit family lives in fear after boy touches non-Dalit's plate
The teacher at the Rajkiya Ucch Madhyamik Vidyalaya here was arrested two days after the beating and is out on bail but now, Class 4 student Dinesh's elder brother Narpat, 17, has allegedly received a death threat from local Jat youths.
One week after a 12-year-old Dalit student was severely beaten by a teacher for touching a plate "meant for non-Dalits" during the mid-day meal at his school, nothing has changed at Berdo Ka Bas panchayat in Jodhpur's Osian block.
The teacher at the Rajkiya Ucch Madhyamik Vidyalaya here was arrested two days after the beating and is out on bail but now, Class 4 student Dinesh's elder brother Narpat, 17, has allegedly received a death threat from local Jat youths.
"The Jats are unhappy with the action taken against the teacher, Hemaram Jat, and want his reinstatement. So their youths keep threatening us. They have threatened Narpat, saying they will keep me busy by killing him so I won't able to pursue the case against Hemaram," said Dinesh's father Malaram Meghwal, a farmer.
Berdo Ka Bas has around 500 Jat and 100 Dalit families. The village has five schools of which four take in students only up to Class 8, leaving Dinesh's school as the only option for those wishing to study up to Class 12. And it's in this high school, allege Dalit villagers, that the discrimination is rampant.
Here, a 16-year-old Class 9 student Raju Ram told The Indian Express that he still can't touch his classmate and best friend Deeparam Jat — Raju is a Dalit and Deeparam is a Jat, which is "like being a Brahmin".
Ram says he "cannot touch the water bucket at school, and my Jat classmates or teachers pour water into my palm with a mug". "In classrooms too, we have a separate seating arrangement," said Ram. Shaitanwa Ram, 15, another Class 9 student, says the plates too, are stacked separately for Jats and Dalits — meals for Dalits are served at a distance.
More than 80 km away, Dr Rakesh Johra, who looked after Dinesh as he recovered at the Umaid hospital in Jodhpur, told The Indian Express that even though the boy was discharged on Wednesday, "we have referred him to an ENT for his ear injuries".
Elaborating on the incident, Dinesh's father Malaram says that "other students had prodded him to pick up a plate meant for non-Dalits". "But as soon as he touched it, they raised a commotion after which Hemaram beat him. My son came home crying, and started vomiting," he said.
"When I reached the school to confront them over the 'bhed bhaav' (discrimination), one teacher held me by the throat and Hemaram attacked me with a stick, injuring my arm," said Malaram.
Back in the village, the horror stories continue. "Three years ago, another Dalit student in that school was beaten up by Hemaram for touching his chair and landed up in hospital for 15 days. He ultimately dropped out," said Dheeraram, 51, whose wife was once a sarpanch here.
"If you touch their tiffin, they throw the contents to dogs," said Togaram, 48. Dayaram, 18, from Class 10, says he was once beaten up when his hand touched a teacher's tiffin box while he was sweeping the floor.
While Hemaram and other teachers refused to speak to The Indian Express, Anshulal, a physical education teacher who is the headmaster temporarily in charge of this school, says "there is absolutely no discrimination at the school." "They cook up stories because we are strict," he said.
Bhagwana Ram, a Jat who has a child in the same school, says Hemaram is "just strict". "All children are hit, else they will be spoiled. But whenever they (the Dalit kids) are scolded, their parents make it a caste issue," he said.
Nutan Bala Kapila, Jodhpur Deputy Director, Elementary and Secondary Education, said that an inquiry report into Dinesh's case is expected soon. "The District Education Department had been asked to submit a report, we expect it within a couple of days," she said.
Hemaram was arrested on October 3 after being booked under sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code as well as under the SC/ST Act. He was granted bail soon after.
The Times Of India
Dalit's to hold 'mega rally' for reservation in Delhi
Uday Rana,TNN | Oct 8, 2015, 11.17 PM IST
MEERUT: A group of Meerut-based dalits on Thursday protested and asserted that a 'mega rally' will be held in Delhi on December 10. Among other demands, they have sought reservation in jobs in the Armed Forces.
"We demand a strong reservation law which should be free of any judicial intervention. It should be sacrosanct. We also want reservations for SCs and STs in higher posts of all three wings of the Indian Armed Forces. Keeping in mind the proportion of SCs and STs in the population, the reservation limit should be extended from 22.5% to 30%. The government should also ensure that reservations extend to the private sector as well public-private-partnership (PPP) projects. Looting of land and forests of the tribals should also stop. SC, ST and OBC students should also get free hostels," said Gyanendra Gautam, district president of the Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (ABSS).
"We have called for a massive 'Aarakshan bhachao, samaj bachao' (Save reservation, save society) protest in Delhi on December 10. We will protest in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan and have asked dalits from across the nation to join us in the protest. Lakhs are expected to turn up for the protest. We are also demanding the right to employment, right to land and right to health be enforced," he added.
The Times Of India
Evicted from Gabela, Dalit group protests at Doon
Kautilya Singh & Seema Sharma,TNN | Oct 8, 2015, 09.49 PM IST
DEHRADUN: Evicted out of Gabela village, the group of Dalits that had started a protest in the village after they were denied permission to enter the village temple, sat on a hunger protest outside Dehradun's Gandhi Park on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the district administration has stated that it will not allow members of the Jaunsar Bawar Parivartan Yatra (JBPY) to enter the village.
After a written complaint from the villagers, the police arrested the protestors and released them later on personal bonds. The entire matter took a political turn when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members and some social organizations extended support to the protestors claiming "atrocities on Dalits will not be tolerated."
On October 5, Daulat Kunwar, under the aegis of his organization Aaradhna Gramin Vikas Kendra, took out a 10-day Jaunsar Bawar Parivartan Yatra for the "welfare of Dalits." The yatra in which some meeting with the Dalits and visits to a few temples had been planned, was to pass through some villages of the area.
After being denied a chance to hold a meeting in Quansi area on October 5, the yatra arrived at Gabela village. However, the group was prevented from entering the temple by a group of people, who claimed that they were under the control of the spirit of village god.
Annoyed, Kunwar and his team sat on a protest and were said to be "forcefully" removed from the village late on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, the group came to Dehradun and held the protest. Kunwar told TOI, "We will continue our protest till we get entry in the temple with the respect we are due, or we will have no other option than to convert to some other religion which grants us the permission to offer prayers before our God." Kunwar alleged he was beaten and forcefully removed from the protest venue.
Kunwar's wife Saraswati claimed that her bag with valuables and documents was missing. "Derogatory remarks were hurled at us, police stood as mute spectators while the villagers insulted us," she added.
Meanwhile, the district administration has made it clear that JBPY members will not be allowed inside Gabela. "The yatra members are disturbing peace and harmony of the village. Residents, including those of the Dalit community, have submitted a report to the administration demanding JBPY not be allowed into the village as it affects the harmony of the area," said district magistrate Ravinath Raman.
According to sub-divisional magistrate Ashok Pandey, none of the 250 Dalit families of the 600 families of Gabela participated in the yatra or showed an inclination to visit the temple. Pandey also denied allegations that the district administration allowed the matter to fester for three days without taking any action.
BSP and some social organizations have come forward in support of the Dalits. BSP leader Usha Devi maintained that everyone has the right to go to a temple. Members of Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch took out a march from the old bus stand on Rajpur Road to Lansdowne Chowk in support of the Dalit group.
The Hindu
Dalit outfits force cancellation of interview in college
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The Belagavi Jilla Vividdha Dalit Sanghatanegala Okkoota, representing Dalit organisations including the Dalit Sangarsha Samiti, laid siege to the Sree Siddaprabhu Independent PU Arts and Commerce College in Chikkodi town and forced the management to cancel the interviews for selection of lecturers in economics on Thursday.
They alleged that the current management was headed by a person, who is not from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, and he had taken over the charge in violation of conditions for receiving grant-in-aid from the government in 1989-90.
The okkoota members took out a procession and forced the chairman of the college management Sadanand Mahalingappa Pamdini to cancel interviews until the dispute, still pending before the High Court bench at Dharwad was disposed of. Assistant Commissioner S.S. Biradar and police officials visited the college.
Okkoota leader Mallesh Chougule, DSS Chikkodi organiser Rajendra Gasti, Shekhar Prabhakar and Basavaraj Dhake told the Assistant Commissioner that the government had approved grant to the college considering that it was run by a management represented by members of SCs and STs. But, four of the nine directors in the present management were not from the communities.
The okkoota leaders held a meeting with Mr. Pamdini, who allegedly refused to hand over the charge.
The okkoota leaders said they would file a case against the present management members under SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Hindu
GRI assures to repay fees to SC/ST students
STAFF REPORTER
The Gandhigram Rural Institute officials have assured to repay entire tuition fees collected from SC/ST students during admission this academic year and previous years at a peace committee meeting held in RDO office here on Thursday. Briefing the outcome of meeting, Dindigul RDO A. Manoharan said that GRI had agreed to settle the dues to students in a phased manner.
It also sent a circular to all students in this connection. It will not collect tuition fees from SC/ST students in future. These assurances were given by GRI representative P. Anandha Kumar.
The institute also insisted that students should not indulge in agitation and settle the issue with concerned officials in the institute.
Earlier, S. Karuppaiah, State Joint General Secretary, Dalit Liberation Movement – TN and students representatives said that GRI failed to follow Adi-Dravida Welfare G.O. No.92 (Amendment) and had been collecting fees from SC/ST students since 2006-07 and that it should stop collecting fees.
Both sides have agreed upon the decision taken at the meeting. Mr. Karuppaiah said that GRI had been collecting tuition fees to the tune of Rs.56.94 lakh from 4,194 Dalit students between the academic years 2006-07 and 2013-14. Director of College Education in a letter to Director of Adi Dravida Welfare dated May 23, 2015, had also stated it.
When students and Dalit Movement attempted to observe fast on October 2 before GRI, the police had promised to arrange a meeting with RDO in this connection. The SC Commission too cautioned the GRI not to collect fees from SC/ST students during his visit to the institute recently.
News monitored by AMRESH & AJEET
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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