Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 04.06.12
Dalit's house set afire - IBN Live
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/dalits-house-set-afire/1007290.html
Caste wars: Bloody pages of Bihar's history - NDTV
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/caste-wars-bloody-pages-of-bihar-s-history-221789
Karnataka Victims' Compensation Scheme to aid victims of atrocities - The Times Of India
University officials to ban caste discrimination on campus - Daily Mail
NCERT book blanks out Ambedkar's role as the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee - The Economic Times
Marrying the hope of rain! - Deccan Herald
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/254240/marrying-hope-rain.html
IBN Live
Dalit's house set afire
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/dalits-house-set-afire/1007290.html
PTI | 02:06 PM,Jun 04,2012
Muzaffarnagar, Jun 4 (PTI) Some unidentified assailants allegedly set the house of a Dalit man on fire for eloping with a Muslim girl in Kithora village in the district, police said today. The Dalit man Prateek had eloped with the girl on May 24, they said, adding, the girl was rescued and sent to Nari Niketan, while he was sent to jail for abducting her. The assailants set Prateek's house on fire, but his family members were not hurt in the incident, they said. The Dalit family alleged that the accused have threatened them to leave the village or face the consequences, they said.
NDTV
Caste wars: Bloody pages of Bihar's history
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/caste-wars-bloody-pages-of-bihar-s-history-221789
NDTV Correpondent | Updated: June 03, 2012 22:21 IST
Patna: The killing of Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh has once again brought into focus the caste killings of Bihar in the 1990s, a period which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar describes as the dark ages for the state. Over the last two days, the Bihar government has struggled to cope with the aftermath of his death, with violence breaking out in Singh's native place of Bhojpur and in Patna, where the Ranvir Sena chief was cremated on Saturday.
Containing the fallout of Brahmeshwar Singh's death will perhaps be Nitish Kumar's biggest challenge yet, in his seven-year term so far.
An upper caste farmer from the Bhojpur district, Brahmeshwar Singh played a key role in the bloody caste wars, between upper caste landowners and landless Dalits. Also 1000 people were killed in the violence.
Singh headed the Ranvir Sena, which was formed in the 90s by the merger of all upper caste private militias in Bihar; they spared no one, not even women and children.
The Sena insisted the killings were in retaliation to the murders of landowners by Maoists and justified the violence saying their targets were Dalits and lower castes who supported Red terror.
Today, the bigger question is: Who killed 67-year-old Singh?
Just out after nine years in jail as an accused in the deaths of 21 Dalits in 1996, Singh was on his morning walk when he was killed. And political blame game began almost instantly.
"Brahmeshwar Singh was a big name. If he had been shot in my tenure, everyone would have jumped at me and said I have got him killed," said RJD president Lalu Yadav.
"This has been done by people who are frustrated with good governance in Bihar. They do not know what to do and so they have resorted to this killing," said Shivanand Tiwari, spokesman of the ruling Janata Dal (United).
The ruling party's nervousness is clear. For seven years, since Nitish Kumar came to power, his government has ensured there has been no major incident of caste violence in a state once known for such incidents. On the back of improved law and order and some administrative reforms, the Bihar Chief Minister loses no opportunity to project his state as 'Brand Bihar' these days.
But With Brahmeshwar Singh's killing, fears of retaliation by the powerful landowners - supporters of the Ranvir Sena in its heyday - are back.
Twenty one Dalits were killed in Bathani Tola in July 1996 by the Ravir Sena; its members again killed 61 Dalits, including women and children, in December 1997 in Arwal district. In 1999, 22 Dalits were killed in Jehanabad.
"Yesterday, Patna was virtually lawless. But I don't think Bihar will go back to the dark ages, because the last seven years have seen the presence of a government that is willing to mediate between various classes and castes," said Shaibal Gupta, Head of the Asian Development Research Institute.
The next few days are likely to be critical for Nitish Kumar's administration. The state has been put on high alert, and top police officials have been asked to stay around the area where Singh was killed, for at least a month. The next few days could well be the biggest indicator of how far Bihar has really moved from those bloody years.
The Times Of India
Karnataka Victims' Compensation Scheme to aid victims of atrocities
Stanley Pinto , TNN | Jun 3, 2012, 10.34PM IST
MANGALORE: Victims of atrocities can claim compensation as per the Karnataka Victims' Compensation Scheme, said Superintendent of Police (SP),Abhishek Goyal, Dakshina Kannada district.
Announcing this at the monthly SC/ST grievance meeting held at his office here on Sunday, Goyal said though the scheme was formulated in 2011, it was being implemented now.
Under the scheme, compensation could be claimed for as many as 30 types of offences including murder, rape, assault, manslaughter, dowry death, and sexual harassment, barring cases of accidents and robbery, through Legal Services Authority. Compensation amount ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh. Victims cannot claim compensation if the accused are traced.
Regarding re-investigation of the murder case of Shivappa Bangera, a Mangalore University employee who was murdered in 2001. Goyal said re-investgating or re-opening the case would need proof to convince the court. If there is any proof or evidence which is lead worthy we will puruse the matter,'' said Goyal replying to the demand of Ambedkar Pratishthana State President Shivappa R. Dalit Sanghursha Samithi member Keshaava alleged that Bangera was eliminated due to political reasons and it should be seriously considered for re-investigation.
On another complaint from Satish Kumar that he was being denied caste certificate since his parents had migrated from Sri Lanka to Sullia, Goyal said he should approach the Civil Rights Enforcement Cell with birth certificate and other relevant documents through the police.
Daily Mail
University officials to ban caste discrimination on campus
PUBLISHED: 23:01 GMT, 3 June 2012 | UPDATED: 23:01 GMT, 3 June 2012
Casteism on campus will no longer go unspared. Biased evaluation of examination answer scripts by professors, attributing poor academic performance to a student's social background and harassing SC/ST students by even keeping them idle in the laboratory, among other acts of subtle discrimination, are now punishable under a new regulation of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
This is the first time that harassment and victimisation of the SC/ST students at the hands of their teachers and peers has been clearly defined.
The new rules empower the victim or his/ her parents to lodge a complaint irrespective of whether the humiliation took place within or outside the campus.
The new regulation - called UGC (Prevention of castebased discrimination/Harassment Victimisation and Promotion of Equality in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations 2012 - has been approved by the HRD ministry and will also be discussed at the meeting of the state education ministers on Tuesday.
PUNISHABLE ACTS
Biased evaluation of exam papers by professors by giving less marks to SC/ST students. Passing derogatory remarks indicating caste or social background as reason of under- performance in class.
Keeping such students idle in the lab and not allowing them to work.
Segregating such students from others in hostel/ mess/reading room/common room/canteen
Acts of ragging specifically targeted against such students.
Any act of financial extortion from such students.
Not implementing the reservation policy for admission properly.
It will apply in all colleges and universities as soon as it is published in the official gazette.
To promote equality on campus, the rules go to the extent of identifying both overt and covert casteism by professors and students. Once implemented, it will be mandatory for all institutions to have equal opportunity cells and appoint anti-discrimination officer, who will take up complaints against acts specified as discrimination or harassment.
The ombudsman of the institution has been designated as the appellate authority. The rules make it obligatory for the institutions to decide on such complaints within two months.
The guilty, in cases of students, will be punished 'as per the Statues/Ordinances/ Regulations of the HEI, the UGC regulations on ragging and any other regulations in force'.
Professors and non-teaching staff found guilty of discrimination will be dealt with as per the service rules of the university or college.
This move comes in wake of an increasing number of suicides by Dalit students over the past few years and an appeal by the forum of SC/ST parliamentarians.
The Economic Times
NCERT book blanks out Ambedkar's role as the Chairman of the
Constitution Drafting Committee
Chandra Bhan Prasad
Are Dalits turning intolerant? Are they emotional and scornful to reason? These are some of the questions the mainstream media asked, following the controversy over publication of an Ambedkar cartoon in an NCERT book. In the process, a new stereotype on Dalits may have been created.
The authors of the NCERT book, 'Indian Constitution at Work,' are amazed at the response of 'emotional-devotional' Dalits. "They have not read the book," and "they have not understood the context of the cartoon," were refrains of the authors. In other words, Dalits are not applying their minds. "Dalit intellectuals have stopped being argumentative. After all, it is for the first time that Dr Ambedkar is being introduced to India's young minds," they said.
Let me give the reasons why Dalits are upset. Let's begin with the cartoon. Legendary cartoonist Shankar published the cartoon in 1949, in his Shankar's Weekly, which was meant for a discerning audience; the weekly did not have a mass circulation.
Shankar's readers lived in the times of Dr Ambedkar and Pt Nehru, and knew them well. However, the same cartoon is now presented before Class XI students in an entirely new context. Why do the authors try to show the 'snail pace' taken to draft the Indian Constitution to young minds? Is it to promote Ambedkar or is to paint him as a lazy professional?
Secondly, Shankar drew the cartoon without comment. However, authors of the NCERT book added a caption: "Cartoonist's impression of the snail's pace with which the Constitution was made. Making of the Constitution took almost three years. Is the cartoonist commenting on this fact? Why do you think, did the Constituent Assembly take so long to make the Constitution?"
Are not "...took almost three years", "...cartoonist commenting on this fact" and "why do you think..." meant to unduly influence impressionable minds?
Contemporary India associates Dr Ambedkar with the making of the Constitution. The Union government inserts full-page advertisements in newspapers, nation-wide, on every April 14 and December 6 - the birth and death anniversary, respectively, of Dr Ambedkar - acknowledging him as the architect of the Indian Constitution.
In addition, Dalits organise rallies and seminars all over India on these days to highlight Dr Ambedkar's contribution to the nation. Seeking self-esteem, Dalits highlight the fact Dr Ambedkar is the father of India's Constitution. This has seen contemporary India grudgingly acknowledging him as the creator of the Indian Constitution.
Now, let's look into the book: The chapter, 'How the Indian Constitution was made,' says: "Formally, the Constitution was made by the Constituent Assembly" [Page 14] Further more, "...the Constituent Assembly that Drafted the Constitution..." [Page 16]. Was the Constitution drafted by the Constituent Assembly? If the Constituent Assembly drafted the Constitution, what did the Drafting Committee do?
Well, in the NCERT book, the Drafting Committee doesn't even exist! Since the authors didn't know that there indeed existed a Drafting Committee to produce a Draft Constitution, the question of introducing Ambedkar as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee didn't arise.
Deccan Herald
Marrying the hope of rain!
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/254240/marrying-hope-rain.html
Halebeedu (Hassan dist), June 3, 2012, DHNS:
Maavana Habba
With a dry spell threatening to cast its shadow on the months ahead, making it difficult for the people to eke out a living, people are seeking to invoke gods' intervention to change the weather.
At a colony inhabited by Dalits here, people performed mock marriage of two boys, dressing them up as bride and groom. 'Maavana Habba', as it is called in the region, is popular among certain communities since time immemorial, who often resort to this practice when rains fail, or are delayed for whatever reason.
The colony is known for preserving folklore and related oral literature. The mock marriage and 'maavana habba' is often celebrated in the region. Before setting off on marriage, the villagers go over every aspect of marriage — just the way it is done in real life. A rather comic discussion among elders was held, where the marriage was discussed, along with crucial aspects such as dowry and expenses. However, on a serious note, the meeting concluded with the members sending out a social message opposing the dowry system, and also marriage turning into a transaction as a result of this.
With members closing the meeting hoping for copious rains, they didn't forget to add that the dowry menace has to be eradicated from the society. Dasappa of the village turned the priest for the wedding, and all the rituals followed were true to life. A reception ceremony was also held with the bride and groom offering gifts to each other.
The mock wedding ceremony, replete with rituals and social do's, also had men and women comically criticise each other using 'sobane pada' — songs based in folk, often witty and rhythmic and sung on auspicious occasions, to keep the humour. Foot-tapping folk music had everyone dancing under the open sky and cheering each others. Feast of a lunch was prepared in everyone's house, with families savouring them at leisure. Some were confident that the clouds would turn grey and heavy soon, and bring rains. Others hoped it would turn into a reality soon!
--
.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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