Dalit family alleges court order, yet SDM changes land ownership
A decision by the SDM court regarding 17 bighas of land worth ₹20 crore in the Madhorajpura subdivision has sparked a major controversy. The aggrieved Dalit family has filed a complaint with the Chief Minister and Jaipur Collector Sandesh Nayak, accusing SDM Madhorajpura Rajesh Kumar of abuse of power and bias. Victim Paras Verma, a resident of Harsulia village, stated that in this 45-year-old dispute, the civil court had declared his registry valid on April 29, 2026. Despite this, on June 16, 2026, the SDM court, after a four-and-a-half-day hearing, disregarded the rules of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act and passed a decree transferring land previously owned by the SC category to the ST category. Invited to a flat, pressured Paras alleges that on June 3, he was summoned to a flat in Nandini Apartments near Sanganer Airport, where the SDM himself was present, and pressured to compromise. He is being threatened with arrest by the police if he refuses the offer. A complaint has been filed with the CMO, ACB, and the Scheduled Castes Commission. This is a judicial decision: SDM Regarding the allegations, SDM Rajesh Kumar said, “This is a judicial decision. If any party has any objections, the doors of appeal are open from the RAA to the Revenue Board; they are free to appeal.” Courtesy: Hindi News
In Sambhal, the Turki community prevented a Dalit Muslim family from praying in the mosque, angering SP Krishna Kumar Vishnoi and filing an FIR.
A case has been filed against five named accused, including the Mutawalli. The SP stated, “Violations of fundamental rights will not be tolerated; strict action will be taken.” Sambhal. A sensational case of social discrimination and religious persecution has emerged from the village of Mandli Samaspur, under the police station jurisdiction of Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh. A Muslim youth has alleged that members of the dominant Turki community within his own community forcibly prevented him and his family from praying in the village mosque. Following the victim’s complaint, Sambhal Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishna Kumar Vishnoi has taken strong cognizance of the matter and ordered the immediate registration of an FIR against the accused and strict legal action. Allegations of discrimination and social boycott due to belonging to the Dhunia community According to reports, the victim, Mohammad Wasim, a resident of Mandli Samaspur, reached the district headquarters on Friday and met with District Magistrate (DM) Ankit Khandelwal and Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi to narrate his ordeal. The victim, Mohammad Wasim, alleges that he belongs to the Dhunia (Bunna) community. Some influential members of the Turk community in the village are preventing him and his community from offering prayers in the mosque as per their tradition. The victim says that the mosque’s Mutawalli, Atiq Ahmed, his son Shane Alam, and several others have been socially boycotting his family for the past year and a half. Zakat, donations, and the Imam’s meals have also been banned. The victim told officials that the accused are neither accepting donations or Zakat from him for the mosque nor allowing him to participate in religious events. The situation reached its peak when the accused even prevented the mosque’s Imam from eating food at the victim’s home. According to Wasim, around 5-6 families from his community live in the village and are facing such caste and social oppression. SP said, “Violation of fundamental rights will not be tolerated; legal action initiated.” Considering the matter as extremely serious, SP Krishna Kumar Vishnoi expressed deep displeasure. He said that the Constitution of India guarantees every citizen the freedom to practice their religious rights. If a person’s fundamental rights are being violated in this manner, it will not be tolerated at all. The SP stated that preliminary investigations revealed that this dispute had been ongoing for a long time. Previous attempts were made at the police level to reach a compromise between the two parties, but these were unsuccessful. Now, a strict legal stance is being taken. FIR registered against 5 named accused Following the SP’s strict instructions, the police have registered a case against Atiq Ahmed (Mutawalli), Shane Alam, Amir, Bholu, and Hafiz Maruf under relevant sections based on the victim’s complaint. The police administration has assured that the victim’s family will be given full security and they will be able to exercise their religious rights without any fear or hindrance. Courtesy: Hindi News
Husband attacked with axes and sticks for protesting against wife’s molestation: Dalit family attacked with axes and sticks, caste-related abuses alleged
A Dalit family has been attacked with axes and sticks in the Nai Mandi police station area of Muzaffarnagar for protesting against alleged molestation of a woman. The victim’s family alleges that neighbors attacked the young man with sticks and axes, seriously injuring him. They also hurled caste-related abuses and threatened to kill the entire family. The injured man is undergoing treatment at the district hospital. Police have launched an investigation. The incident took place in Haripuram Kookra. According to the victim, some young men from the neighborhood had been allegedly harassing and teasing his wife for a long time. When he protested, he was first beaten up. Attacked with Weapons After Calling Family The victim alleges that when he called his family to the scene, the accused arrived armed with sticks and sharp weapons like axes and attacked the entire family. He suffered serious injuries to his head and several parts of his body. He was subsequently admitted to the district hospital. Allegations of Casteist Abuses and Threats The victim alleged that the attackers used casteist slurs during the assault and said, “We will not allow people from lower castes to live in the neighborhood.” They also threatened to rape his wife and kill his entire family. The victim has demanded action against the named accused and 10 to 12 unidentified individuals. He alleges that all of them arrived with weapons in a planned manner. Police Investigating Upon receiving information about the incident, police from the Nai Mandi police station arrived at the scene. Police have conducted a medical examination of the injured and have begun investigating the case based on the complaint filed by the victim’s family. The police say that further legal action will be taken based on the facts that emerge during the investigation. Varun Kumar Sharma | Muzaffarnagar Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit Christian wins burial rights after long struggle
Chennai, A Dalit Catholic teacher was finally buried in a common cemetery in Tamil Nadu after his community fought for more than two decades against caste‑based exclusion, marking a milestone in the struggle for equality within the Church, UNI reported. The burial of A. Raju, 72, in Kottapalayam village of Trichy district, came late July 19 night after three days of tense standoff between Dalit Christians and dominant‑caste Reddis, who had long barred Dalits from using the cemetery, according to UNI. Struggle Dalit Catholics filed suit in 2014 at the District Munsif Court, demanding equal burial rights. In August 2024, the court decreed that Dalits could use the cemetery attached to St. Mary Magdalene Church. The Bishop of Kumbakonam Diocese and the parish priest were named defendants. Despite the ruling, enforcement lagged. When Raju died last week, his body lay at home just 300 meters from the cemetery while Reddis blocked access. Negotiations with parish priest Fr. Michael Raj failed, and police could not resolve the impasse. Community Protest Dalit Christians staged dharnas and petitioned officials, including the district collector, but no action followed, UNI said. Advocate Dhas Prakash, who represented the Dalits, told UNI: “Since the deceased was the petitioner in the case, the Dalits decided his body should be buried in the common cemetery.” The dispute highlighted broader discrimination. Dalit elders noted that only this year were their contributions accepted for the parish’s annual car festival, underscoring exclusion from religious life. Government Intervention On July 19 evening, Musiri Revenue Divisional Officer S.S. Kuntia summoned both sides and the parish priest for talks. At 9:30 p.m., officials ruled that Raju could be buried in the common cemetery — but only his body, not a blanket right for all Dalits. Dalit leaders accepted the compromise, calling it a partial but symbolic victory. “This is historic,” one elder told UNI. “For the first time, a Dalit Christian has been laid to rest in the common cemetery.” Midnight Burial By midnight, Raju’s funeral procession entered the cemetery. Crackers burst as mourners carried his body past the gates that had been closed to Dalits for generations. The burial marked the end of a long struggle, though activists stressed that the fight for full equality continues. The case underscores persistent caste discrimination within Tamil Nadu’s Catholic institutions. While the burial was limited to one individual, Dalit Christians believe it sets a precedent for enforcing the 2024 court decree. “This is not just about one man,” Prakash told UNI. “It is about dignity for an entire community.” Courtesy : Matters India Note: This news is originally published on https:/mattersindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Double murder of Dalit brothers, accused SP MLA ‘disappears’, yet why is Akhilesh silent?
Even after a case was registered against Hakim Lal Bind, SP MLA from Handia, Prayagraj, for the murder of two Dalit brothers, he has not been arrested. Police say the MLA has been out of contact for the past 15 days. Meanwhile, political questions have intensified regarding the silence of the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav, who have been vocal on law and order and PDA politics. Opinion: Hakim Lal Bind, Samajwadi Party MLA from Handia, Prayagraj, has been charged with murder in the death of two brothers. However, since the FIR was filed, the MLA has been out of police reach for the past 15 days. He has not yet recorded his statement. Police say his mobile phone is switched off and he cannot be contacted. The most discussed topic in this entire incident is the silence of the Samajwadi Party’s top leadership. SP President Akhilesh Yadav, who has consistently criticized the BJP government on issues of crime, law and order, and the PDA (Backward, Dalit, and Minority) in the state, has yet to publicly comment on the matter. There has been no official statement from the party, nor has any organizational action been reported against the MLA. The MLA is accused of land grabbing. The two brothers whose deaths have come to light belonged to the Dalit community. The deceased’s family alleges that the younger brother, and then the elder brother, were murdered 22 days later over a dispute regarding ancestral land, and their bodies were hanged. A murder case has been filed against several individuals, including Hakim Lal Bind. The police are investigating the case, but they say the MLA is not cooperating. According to Handia police, the MLA’s mobile phone is switched off and he cannot be contacted. Police also visited his home, but he was not found there. Why are questions being raised about the SP’s top leadership? This issue is also in political discussion because the Samajwadi Party has been calling the PDA its biggest political campaign for the past several months. The party has consistently claimed that it raises the voice of the backward, Dalit, and underprivileged communities. It has also demanded answers from the government on every law and order issue. Consequently, the top leadership’s silence, despite its own party MLA facing serious charges like murder and being out of reach of the police, has become a subject of questioning within the opposition and political circles. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has consistently raised questions about the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. But now, when a case has been filed against his own party MLA for the murder of a Dalit, he remains silent. Far from taking action against his MLA, he has not even made any public comment on the entire matter. Why does the SP remain silent when it comes to its leaders? However, this is not the first time questions have been raised about the Samajwadi Party’s silence regarding allegations against its leaders. Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had not responded to the assault on a female SP worker in Chandauli. He also remained silent on the attack on MLA Maharaji Prajapati’s residence in Amethi. He also remained silent on several high-profile murders in Purvanchal. He also made no public statement on the Surya Chauhan murder case in Ghaziabad. Consequently, the opposition has consistently alleged that Akhilesh Yadav remains silent whenever Samajwadi Party leaders are named in criminal cases, or when allegations are leveled against individuals belonging to the Muslim and Yadav communities. (Author Bhavesh Pandey is an advocate in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court and writes on political and social issues.) (Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s personal opinions.) Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit family forced to live in thatched roof for five years: Fear of snakes and scorpions during rains in Ayodhya, administration unaware, awaiting permanent housing
A poor Dalit family in Banshu Ka Purwa, Deva Suryabhanpur village, Maya Bazaar block, Ayodhya, has been waiting for permanent housing for the past five years. The family has not yet received benefits under the Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme, forcing them to live in a dilapidated thatched roof. During the rainy season, the family faces extremely difficult conditions. Water leaks from the roof and there is a constant threat of walls collapsing. At night, the family is terrified by mosquitoes, scorpions, and snakes. Last year, the family’s daughter had to be taken to the hospital after being bitten by a scorpion. During the rainy season, the entire house becomes filled with mud and water, leading to the spread of diseases. The children’s studies are also affected, as their books and notebooks get soaked and damaged. Families like Ramkaran, son of Ramkumar, and Samarjeet, son of Ramkumar, residents of Banshu Ka Purwa, are forced to live in thatched roofs due to lack of housing. Waterlogging makes it even more difficult for them to live with their families. Suffering from the situation, Ramkaran stated that he has complained to the Sarpanch, Secretary, and Block Office ten times. Each time, he receives assurances that his name will be included in the next list, but this wait has been unending for five years. He expressed concern about where they will go if their roof collapses during the rainy season. Ramkaran’s wife, while narrating her plight, said that they sit with a diya (lamp) burning all night because they are afraid of snakes and scorpions. Village head representative Ravi Upadhyay stated that the family’s housing application will soon be sent to the Block Office. Meanwhile, BDO Maya Bazaar Vikas Kumar Mishra stated that the matter will be investigated. If the family is found eligible, their housing will be approved under a special campaign. Santosh Kumar | Maya Bazaar, Ayodhya Courtesy: Hindi News
The Forgotten Stakeholders of the Ken-Betwa Project: Why Dalit Voices Must Matter in India’s Largest River-Linking Experiment
The Ken-Betwa River Link Project, when it is discussed, tends to be overshadowed by the discussions on irrigation potential, ecological impacts and the future of the Panna Tiger Reserve. These are clearly important issues, but one crucial aspect has been largely ignored. It is the impact on Dalit people whose lives and livelihoods are intrinsically linked to the land now destined for transformation. As India embarks on one of its most ambitious water infrastructure projects, the question is not whether rivers can be interconnected but whether it is possible to grow in a socially just and inclusive manner. Development has never been asocial Major infrastructure investments rarely impact all communities equally. People who own property, have money and political power are usually better placed to get compensation or to rebuild their lives. Marginalised communities, particularly Dalits, tend to come into such processes with fewer assets, less bargaining power and a greater dependence on shared resources. In Bundelkhand, many Dalit households depend on agricultural wage labour, grazing grounds, woods, riverbanks and village commons for their survival. Even if they do not own the land being acquired, they risk losing access to economic networks that support their everyday life. That creates a dangerous paradox: a project aimed at reducing regional inequality may actually exacerbate existing socioeconomic inequities if rehabilitation policies are exclusively targeted at landowners. Hidden costs of displacement Public debate around rehabilitation often centres on compensation for seized land. But many Dalit households rely on labour for their livelihood, rather than ownership. Relocation of villages changes agricultural patterns and may eliminate job opportunities. While landowners may be compensated or given alternative plots of land, agricultural workers tend to lose both their livelihoods and social support systems. Seasonal jobs, access to forests for fuelwood, collection of minor forest produce, cattle grazing and informal economic activity could be lost overnight. Without understanding these losses, rehabilitation risks being a bureaucratic exercise rather than an exercise in meaningful justice. The pay is as important as the representation The Constitution guarantees equality before the law, but in reality participation in development planning is uneven. Important questions need to be asked: Were Dalit settlements consulted separately in public hearings? Were their interests tracked separately from the big landholding interests? Do rehabilitation committees effectively represent the scheduled castes? Are compensation schemes intended to recognize dependence on a livelihood, not just legal ownership? These questions are meant to bolster, not to stymie, growth. The Indian environmental governance framework is more about involvement. But meaningful participation also requires an understanding that communities are not homogenous. Social hierarchies in communities often determine who gets to be heard and whose concerns are dismissed. Learning from Previous Development Projects The history of India’s big dams, mining projects, industrial corridors and urban expansion tells us a familiar story: exposed areas often pay higher prices with fewer long-term benefits. Research on displacement in infrastructure projects has often found that Scheduled Castes and other marginal groups recover livelihoods more slowly due to a lack of economic assets and institutional support. The Ken-Betwa project is a chance to break free from this trend. Anusreeta Dutta Courtesy : TOP Note: This news is originally published on https:/theobserverpost.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dhampur: Two accused arrested and charged after altercation with woman
Dhampur police have arrested and charged two young men in connection with the assault of a Dalit youth. The incident occurred after an alleged altercation with a woman. The incident occurred near Chak Sahajani village in Dhampur, where a Dalit youth was assaulted by three or four unidentified youths. Vivek Kumar, son of Pramod Kumar, a resident of Nangli Ladan village in the police station area, filed a police complaint. Vivek told police that he works as a mechanic at a local business. He had frequent disputes with a woman, Sonu, and her family at the same business. This dispute occurred on Wednesday. According to police, two young men living in the neighborhood, along with their friends, assaulted Vivek at the instigation of Sonu’s family. Inspector Ravindra Pratap Singh stated that the arrested accused have been identified as Adnan from Bamnoli and Ali from Delhi Bhatpura. They were accompanied by two other unidentified individuals. Police have arrested Adnan and Ali and issued a challan against them. Based on Vivek’s complaint, police have also named Sonu, wife of Manish. Shahbaz Anwar | Dhampur Alaihpur (Dhampur), Bijnor Courtesy: Hindi News
An unflinching portrait of Dalit life | Review of Chandu Maheria’s Homes without Windows
Translated by Hemang Ashwinkumar, Maheria’s book offers an intimate account of caste, poverty, and survival in urban Gujarat but is undermined by an embellished translation Monsoon arrived in Gujarat just as I finished reading Homes without Windows, a collection of 11 autobiographical essays by Dalit activist Chandu Maheria, translated by Hemang Ashwinkumar. Originally written in the Gujarati and published in non-literary magazines, these essays are now available in English. “Today, when I utter stuff like I don’t like monsoon or the prospect of getting wet in rain, my audience gasps, their eyebrows raised in mock surprise. How could someone, who has spent most of his life’s monsoons in just two pairs of mostly wet clothes, still like to get soaked is a question beyond them…,” writes Maheria in one of the essays. For him, the monsoon evokes memories of hellish public toilets, the scramble to cover the house with a sheet of cheap tarpaulin, rainwater flooding homes and streets, and his mother praying to Varun, the god of rain. In the chawls of Rajpur, where Maheria spent most of his life, there was little time to marvel at the beauty of a rainbow. A life of deprivation When you enter Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Gujarat, from the eastern side, a dense web of chawls lines both sides of the main road, inhabited mostly by Muslims, Dalits, Christians, and poor communities. Maheria takes us into the heart of this labyrinth. He introduces us to its seasons and festivals, its sorrows and moments of happiness despite scarcity and untouchability, its schools, toilets, and hospitals, and the enduring presence of B.R. Ambedkar and M.K. Gandhi in the lives of its people. Maheria’s childhood was marked by extreme food deprivation. His father, a textile mill worker, was the sole breadwinner of a family of nine. During Maheria’s early school years, the children received a glass of milk every day before classes, but little else. Maheria writes about those dark days with disarming honesty. There were times when a relative who delivered tiffin boxes would stop by their home at the end of his rounds and let the family eat the leftovers from the boxes. At the end of the chapter, Maheria expresses his gratitude for the reservation policy, which enabled him and his siblings to pursue education and secure jobs and escape those years of hardship. In another chapter, he writes, “As if the question of filling the bottomless pits of hunger was not vexed enough, the daily dilemma of emptying our bowels had made our lives, both personal and social, embarrassing and miserable.” Their dingy dwelling, Abu Kasai’s chawl, did not have a single public toilet of its own, forcing its residents to use the filthy toilets in the neighbouring Hiralal’s chawl. Decades later, a large, modern, and well-maintained public toilet stands there, yet it remains beyond the reach of the daily-wage poor and the unemployed because it costs one rupee per visit. As a result, it is seldom used by the local residents, who have wryly come to call it ‘The Mayor’s Bungalow’. Maheria, a noted scholar of Dalit life in Gujarat, has important points to make in the ever-contentious debate on Gandhi and Ambedkar. Unlike many of his Dalit friends, he admires Gandhi. He writes, “Gandhi might have been anything — call him whatever names — but one thing he was certainly not was anti-Dalit.” Maheria loved wearing Khadi despite his mother’s opposition; his father too was anti-Gandhi. Yet Maheria affectionately refers to Gandhi as “That Fellow, Gandhido.” When Maheria was just two years away from retirement, he received a promotion along with a transfer to a town called Dhoraji in the Saurashtra region. There the author says he repeatedly encountered the question, “Tame keva? (What caste are you?)”, which he had never been asked in urban Gujarat. While much of his writing focuses on Dalit life in urban Gujarat, his two-year stay in this dusty town offers a glimpse into caste discrimination and the ways in which Dalits and Muslims are excluded from the broader development agenda. It also shows how these communities are pushed into segregated ghettos on the outskirts of so-called developing towns. Losing the writer’s voice Having read the original Gujarati essays alongside their English translations, I have a few observations about Ashwinkumar’s translation. A translator’s foremost responsibility is to preserve the original author’s voice and tonal quality. Maheria’s language is simple and he rarely uses ornamental expressions; his economy of words is almost Gandhian. In many places, however, the English translation departs from this restraint by adding flourishes. In the chapter on Diwali, for instance, the translation reads: “Ramanbhai worked tirelessly…treating the wall as a wide canvas, painting it in broad strokes. Thanks to his speed and finesse, the whole drawing room, the biggest room in the house, would be taken care of by the afternoon.” In the original Gujarati, this is a single sentence. The added phrases do not align with Maheria’s sparse style. Moreover, the sentence is factually inaccurate: in the original, there is no drawing room; it refers instead to a small, single thatched room in a chawl. The use of the words “drawing room” creates a misleading impression. A translator should remain faithful to the original text and avoid such liberties. Despite these concerns, Homes Without Windows remains an important and deeply affecting work. Maheria’s essays offer an intimate, lived account of caste, poverty, and survival in urban Gujarat. What stays with the reader is the dignity and wit with which he recounts them. Maheria’s voice continues to insist on being heard. Mehul Devkala The reviewer is a Gujarati poet, writer, and award-winning filmmaker. Courtesy : The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehindu.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Amethi: Case of kidnapping and conversion of a Dalit minor girl; police detain accused Jabir
A case of luring, kidnapping, conversion, and sexual assault of a Dalit girl has come to light in Sangrampur, Amethi. Amethi: A case of forced conversion and rape has come to light in Amethi district, Uttar Pradesh. A young man from a particular community kidnapped a Dalit girl from the same village and fled. He then forced her to convert and raped her. He also threatened to kill her family if they objected. Police arrest accused: Following a complaint from the victim’s family, police have recovered the accused youth and the girl and initiated legal proceedings. The mother of a Dalit girl from a village in the Sangrampur police station area of the district wrote in a complaint to the police that her fifteen-year-old daughter is unmarried. Jabir, son of Karamat Ali, had been sexually abusing her for approximately three to four years. He also pressured her to marry him. Allegation of death threats: The mother wrote in the complaint that they were poor and did not report the matter due to public shame. Jabir repeatedly insulted her and her family with casteist slurs and threatened to convert her daughter to Islam and marry her. If she or anyone in her family objected, he would kill them all. On July 20th, at 10 a.m., Jabir lured her daughter away from their home, promising to force her to convert. Terror grips the victim’s family: She informed her husband, who works in Haryana, over the phone. The family subsequently searched for her daughter in various locations, but could not find any trace of her or Jabir. Jabir had been pressuring her to convert and harassing her for a long time. Police filed an FIR: The teenager’s brother stated that Jabir had lured his sister into a love affair and fled with her on Monday. He assaulted their sister, forced her to convert, and sexually assaulted her. He was also continuously threatening to kill them. He threatened to kill them if they went to the police. Minor girl recovered, accused Jabir in custody: The victim complained to the police at Sangrampur police station, and the police immediately swung into action as the case involved religious conversion. Police recovered the accused youth and the teenager on Tuesday, registered a case, and initiated legal proceedings. However, the victim’s family remains terrified. Additional Superintendent of Police Gyanendra Kumar stated that a minor girl from a village in the Sangrampur police station area was forcibly converted and abducted by a man under the pretext of marriage. A case has been registered at the Sangrampur police station under relevant sections. Further legal action is being taken after the girl has been recovered and the youth has been detained. Courtesy: Hindi News