Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 14.06.12
HC directs Govt to ensure safety of Dalits in Kathua village - Greater Kashmir
'UNTOUCHABILITY'
State at fault, say Dalits - Asian Age
http://www.asianage.com/hyderabad/state-fault-say-dalits-888
Dalit panchayat president denies making any U-turn on charges - The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3525375.ece
Cop faked injury to deny 3 men bail, say Guj Dalits - DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cop-faked-injury-to-deny-3-men-bail-say-guj-dalits_1702284
Stipend for SC-ST students to be hiked - The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article3524037.ece
Greater Kashmir
HC directs Govt to ensure safety of Dalits in Kathua village
'UNTOUCHABILITY'
JAMMU, JUNE 13: A Single Bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to ensure that the members of a particular community may not face harassment for using water from the village well in a village of Kathua district.
The Directions were issued in a petition filed by inhabitants of Village Rasooh Tehsil and District Kathua seeking directions to the state to proceed against the members of the upper-caste who according to them were committing atrocities upon the members of Scheduled Caste Community for using the village well for drinking water facilities. The petitioner claimed that untouchability was being practiced in the village well under the knowledge of the state officials.
Justice Muhammad Yaqoob Mir issued notices to the Chief Secretary J&K, Financial Commissioner (Home), DGP J&K, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Deputy Commissioner Kathua, SSP Kathua and SHO P/S Lakhanpur returnable within three weeks. In the meanwhile, the court directed Deputy Commissioner Kathua and SSP Kathua to ensure that the petitioners are not subjected to any type of harassment and inconvenience. "They will also file their affidavits indicating therein as to what steps they have taken as against the allegations contained in the memo of the petition", the court held. The petitioners contended that in a democratic country like India it is unfortunate that even in the year 2012 such a practice of untouchability and casteism was being allowed and the culprits are left free.
"On one hand policies are being framed to uplift the under privileged people and in Kathua its on the reverse side where people are openly practicing untouchability and are being allowed to do so under the noose of the administration which has failed to take action and instead encouraged the upper caste people by asking the petitioners not to use the village well", they added.
Asian Age
State at fault, say Dalits
http://www.asianage.com/hyderabad/state-fault-say-dalits-888
Jun 14, 2012 |
Dalit associations came down heavily on the government on Wednesday for failing to find a solution to the year-long dispute over land submerged by the Madduvalasa irrigation project that had resulted in a clash on Tuesday that left four people dead. The government's lackadaisical approach was to blame, they said, for the absence of peace in Laxmipeta, which comes under the constituency of medical education minister Kondru Muralimohan Rao and where matters had reached a flashpoint over a week ago.
On Wednesday, Dalit associations, in support of Left parties, took out mass rallies in Rajam and Vanga mandals, condemning governmental inaction. The carnage was a burning example of how assurances of security made to the Dalits by the higher castes were routinely belied, said MRPS chief Krishna Madiga. It was a pathetic life the Dalits were leading and they had no voice to raise against such laxity, he said after meeting the families of the deceased in Rajam. A bandh was observed in Rajam and Vangara on Wednesday.
CM's job offer to calm Laxmipeta Laxmipeta, a village of about 70 families in Vang-ara mandal of Srikakulam district, wore a deserted look on Wednesday, a day after four persons from Scheduled Caste families of the village were killed during a group clash over their right on an irrigation project on government land. All families from the BC community, who were seen to have been behind the carnage, fled the village, expecting police action and further violence.
As the situation remained tense, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy visited Rajam on Wednesday and promised the families of the victims that the administration would address their problems soon. After handing over cheques ofRs. 1 lakh each to families of the four deceased and Rs. 25,000 each to the kin of the 35 injured persons at Rajam CHC Hospital, Mr Reddy ordered a probe into the caste-based clash and directed the police to take swift action. Calling the clash "unfortunate", Mr Reddy said, "Public sector jobs will be offered to family members of the deceased. The injured would also be given em-ployment opportunities."
The Hindu
Dalit panchayat president denies making any U-turn on charges
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3525375.ece
S. Vijay Kumar
Seeks probe by a senior official into allegations of caste discrimination
Kottakatchiyendal village panchayat president V. Karuppan has written to the Chief Secretary seeking enquiry by a senior official into the allegations of caste discrimination he had levelled against the vice-president and ward members.
Expressing shock over a report on his making a "U-turn" on the issue, Mr. Karuppan said that he had neither withdrawn his complaint nor mentioned anything contradicting his earlier statements to the Virudhunagar District Collector. He was still restrained from acting independently and there was no fairness in the enquiry that was on.
(In a complaint to the Director-General of Police, the panchayat president had accused the vice-president, ward members and a clerk of harassing him on caste lines and also threatening him.)
Mr. Karuppan claimed that he was falsely implicated in a case pertaining to financial irregularities. Pointing to his written complaint that the vice-president and clerk had forcibly taken his signatures on cheques, he wondered how he could be involved in a fraud when he had no knowledge about the nature of transactions.
The Virudhunagar Collector and the Superintendent of Police visited the village following a report in The Hindu on June 7, 2012 and held discussions with both parties and asked them settle issues amicably. However, this was followed by a complaint by the Narikudi Block development Officer accusing the Kottakatchiyendhal panchayat president, vice-president and the clerk.
Appealing to the Chief Secretary to withdraw the case against him and restore power to sign cheques, Mr. Karuppan wanted a senior official in the Department of Local Administration to conduct the enquiry.
"There is no question of my withdrawing the complaint or making a 'U-turn'. Instead of registering a case against the accused persons under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the officials have registered a case against me. I am being targeted only because I am a Dalit…I reiterate that I was forced to sit on the floor during meetings and subjected to different forms of humiliation," he told The Hindu on Wednesday.
DNA
Cop faked injury to deny 3 men bail, say Guj Dalits
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cop-faked-injury-to-deny-3-men-bail-say-guj-dalits_1702284
Published: Thursday, Jun 14, 2012, 16:51 IST , By Roxy Gagdekar | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
The Dalits of Koutambha taluka in Panchmahals district have alleged that head constable Dharmendrasinh Somsinh had faked an injury, and used a false medical certificate to slap serious charges on three Dalit men arrested on Sunday.
This would ensure that the arrested men did not get bail, said the Dalits who have faxed their allegation to IGP, Vadodara range.
The head constable was part of the team from Koutambha police station which, on Sunday, had stripped a Dalit man, Raman Vankar, and paraded him half-naked in Ved village of the taluka before locking him up at the police station. Two other Dalit men were also arrested with Raman Vankar.
The three men were held on the charge of obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his duties. However, later the police had allegedly slapped another charge — 'causing bodily harm' — on the arrested Dalits on the basis of a medical certificate submitted by the head constable.
When contacted, PSI of Koutambha police station, SL Gameti, said that the police have not checked the authenticity of the certificate submitted by Somsinh.
"The certificate is from a private doctor of Godhra. It says one of Somsinh's teeth had been broken," Gameti said.
While registering an FIR against the three Dalits, the police had shown them as arrested under section 333 of the IPC, which had made the case against them more serious.
In their faxed message to the IGP, Vadodara range, the Dalits have alleged that Somsinhm, who was not even touched during Sunday's incident, had used a fake medical certificate to harass the arrested men.
Dahya Vankar (64), a resident of Ved village, told DNA that the police had cooked up a story that Somsinh had fallen down when he was beaten up by the Dalits.
"He was not touched by anyone. He fell down from a slope during the lathi charge," Dahya said. Another Dalit who lives in the same area, Kanti Jetha, alleged that Somsinh's tooth was not broken and that he had acquired a fake medical certificate for his alleged injuries.
On Sunday, there was a scuffle between a retired police inspector, GP Joshi, and a Dalit man in Ved village. Joshi had used abusive language against the community and, when the insulted man protested, the retired officer had called the police.
The Dalits of the area had then collected in the village and protested. This led to a lathi charge, after which Raman Vankar was arrested along with two other men from the community. Raman Vankar was stripped and paraded half-naked, before being taken to the police station where he was kept in lock-up.
The Hindu
Stipend for SC-ST students to be hiked
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article3524037.ece
Special Correspondent
Job festivals to be held in all districts
The government is planning to hike the stipend for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) students from Rs.750 to Rs.1,000, Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Communities A.P. Anil Kumar has said.
Replying to questions in the Assembly on Wednesday, Mr. Anil Kumar said laptop computers would be given to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students who opted for professional courses from the current year. The government planned to develop an airstrip at Bekal, he said.
Job festivals
Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes and Youth Affairs P.K. Jayalekshmi said job festivals would be conducted in all districts. Youth Bhavans would be opened in five districts this year and in the rest of the districts in a phased manner. As many as 152 cases of crime against tribespeople had been registered between May 2011 and April 2012. Of the 259 accused in the cases, 131 persons had been arrested.
Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar said 35 Karunya Pharmacies would be opened in the State as part of the government's efforts to control the price of medicines. The percentage of Caesarean sections in private hospitals was on the rise. As many as 1,57,578 cases were reported from private hospitals in 2010-11 and 1,63,496 cases in 2011-12. Guidelines had been issued to ensure that Caesarean sections were done when it was necessary.
Epidemic outbreak had been reported from certain places. Dengue fever had been reported from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam; cholera in Wayanad; and hepatitis-A in Malappuram.
Migrant workers
Labour Minister Shibu Baby John said according to a study conducted by the Migrant Workers Welfare Scheme, there were 27,277 migrant workers in the State. Ernakulam topped the chart with 5,323 workers and Kollam had the lowest, 598.
To ensure the quality of drinking water being supplied in tanker lorries, the government will issue licences to such lorries and also introduce guidelines under the provisions of the Kerala Water Supply and Sewerage Act, Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph said.
Police cautioned
Union Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran had not informed the State government about RMP leader T.P. Chandrasekharan facing a threat to his life, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said. The intelligence wing had cautioned the police about the threat to the life of RMP leaders including T.P. Chandrasekharan. Though the Superintendent of Police had informed the leader of the threat, he refused to have a security cover. As many as 11,440 cases of rape, molestation, eve-teasing, and kidnapping were registered in the State in the past one year, he said.
.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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