Caste-based insults against sanitation worker leader in Jodhpur Municipal Corporation: DC accused of threatening to implicate him in a false case
The letter also states that since 2018, non-Valmiki community members have not been performing sanitation work, placing additional burden on women from the Valmiki community. Therefore, they should be immediately deployed to the wards for sanitation work. Jodhpur. Even after 78 years of independence, another shocking case of social and mental exploitation of the Valmiki (Mehattar) community has emerged from the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation. Sardar Prakash Singh ‘Vidrohi,’ District President of the All India Safai Mazdoor Congress, has alleged in a letter to the Union Defense Minister that the corporation’s DC, Swaroop Singh, insulted him with caste-based slurs and threatened to implicate him in a false case of obstruction of government work. According to the letter, the leader was on a hunger strike on May 12th during the sanitation workers’ long-standing struggle for their ten-point demands. Due to the intense heat and the negligence of officials, Sardar Prakash Singh, who had already undergone bypass surgery, became seriously ill, but the municipal administration remained unconcerned. According to Vidrohi, as the situation worsened, Deputy Commissioner Swaroop Singh expelled all the policemen, officers, and organization members from the room. He then insulted them with casteist slurs, saying, “You Bhangi don’t have the guts to fight us.” Meanwhile, Vidrohi’s health suddenly deteriorated. He initially remained seated on a chair, then, as his condition worsened, he lay down in the Deputy Commissioner’s room. He was also threatened with a false case of obstructing government work against the Commissioner. Sardar Prakash Singh called this mentality a blot on humanity, saying that while the entire world is planning to settle on the moon, educated officials are still living with the same old mindset. During the talks with the police and organization members, I sat on a hunger strike in the scorching sun from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but none of the corporation officials took any notice, leading to my health deteriorating during the talks. I had previously undergone bypass surgery. Even then, the corporation’s DC and no other official took it seriously. My colleagues immediately called an ambulance and rushed me to the hospital, where doctors advised complete bed rest.- Sardar Prakash Singh In his letter, Sardar Prakash Singh made several demands to the Union Defense Minister. He demanded that the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation’s current cleaning contract be canceled and permanent staff recruitment, DPC, and criminal compassionate appointments be conducted soon. He also demanded that members of the Valmiki community be appointed as sanitation in-charges based on seniority and diplomas. The letter also stated that non-Valmiki community members have not been performing sanitation work since 2018, placing additional burden on women from the Valmiki community. Therefore, they should be immediately assigned to the wards. The most important demand is the immediate transfer of DC Swaroop Singh and departmental action against him. Warning that if timely action is not taken, Sardar Prakash Singh will approach the court and file a case against the DC under the SC/ST Act. Copies of this letter have also been sent to Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Rajasthan Chief Minister, and Jodhpur MLA Atul Bhansali. At present, there has been no response from the Municipal Corporation administration, but Sardar Prakash Singh’s allegations have sparked outrage within the Valmiki community. Geetha Sunil Pillai Courtesy: Hindi News
Delhi: “We are Pandits, you are a Chuhra… Nothing will happen to me,” Dalit youth publicly abused; despite video, police remain empty-handed.
A Dalit youth in Delhi’s Mehrauli was publicly subjected to casteist abuse. Despite having the video and the vehicle number, the police are reluctant to register an FIR. New Delhi: A case of caste-based harassment and gross police negligence has come to light in the Mehrauli area of the capital Delhi. An unknown person publicly abused a Dalit youth, Vipin Kumar Duggal, with vulgar casteist slurs and attempted to assault him. Despite the victim having a video of the incident and the accused’s vehicle number, the police have been reluctant to register an FIR for the past several days. The entire incident occurred on May 10, 2026, at around 5:35 p.m. Vipin Kumar Duggal was returning home from the market on his motorcycle. When Vipin, riding a black Hero Splendor (DL3SFP1057), stopped him from cutting him off (driving dangerously) near the residence of former Mayor Satbir Singh, he began abusing him. During a minor altercation, the accused suddenly became aggressive and began pushing and insulting Vipin. According to the victim, the accused publicly shouted, “I know you… We are Pandits, you are a Chuhra… You are a Chuhra… Yes, I am telling you.” When Vipin began filming the incident on his mobile phone, the accused, claiming to be an army soldier, threatened him, saying that the police could not do anything to him. The victim immediately called PCR on 112 and went to Mehrauli police station to file a written complaint (DD No. 145A). The victim alleges that the accused, along with some of his friends, went to the police station to exert pressure and misbehaved there as well. However, as soon as the victim began filing a written complaint, the accused took advantage of the situation and fled. The investigation of this case has been entrusted to SI Naveen Kumar, but the police’s attitude has been extremely evasive. The complainant provided the accused’s mobile number (76XXXXXX94) and True Caller details to the police. Despite this, the investigating officer consistently avoided taking calls and offered only assurances instead of taking any concrete action. Frustrated by this police indifference, the victim sent an email to the DCP (South), ACP (Mehrauli), and SHO on May 12th, pleading for justice. He has also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. According to the victim, when he again visited the police station to meet with the SHO, he denied any knowledge of the incident even four days after the incident, which raises serious questions about police performance. Investigating this entire matter, we attempted to obtain the police’s version of events. We called the SI investigating the case twice to clarify the situation, but were unable to reach him. The Delhi Police’s failure to register an FIR despite the existence of clear evidence and the occurrence of a cognizable offense under the SC/ST Act is a matter of grave concern. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy: Hindi News
Former Pradhan in Pratapgarh accused of assaulting Dalit woman and children: Police register case under SC/ST Act and begin investigation
In Pratapgarh’s Udaipur police station area, former Pradhan Amarnath Pal has been accused of assaulting a Dalit woman and her children. Police have registered a case under various sections, including the SC/ST Act, and have begun investigation. The incident occurred on Sunday in the village of Poore Man Singh in the Rehua Lalganj market. The victim, Rinku Devi, wife of Ramesh Saroj, stated in her complaint to the police that her husband was not at home at the time of the incident and she was ill. Her daughter, Saloni, was cooking at home. According to Rinku Devi, former Pradhan Amarnath Pal had initially asked her to work. Angered by her inability to work due to illness, Amarnath Pal arrived at her house with his wife and daughter. It is alleged that he abused and assaulted Rinku Devi, her daughter Saloni, and son. The accused also threatened to kill them before leaving. Upon receiving information about the incident, the police took immediate action and conducted medical examinations of the victims. Former village head Amarnath Pal dismissed the allegations, saying there was a minor altercation between the women. He claimed that all the allegations made by Rinku Devi are not true. Station in-charge Mohammad Aftab Alam stated that based on the medical examination and investigation, a case has been registered under relevant sections, including the SC/ST Act. The investigation is ongoing, and further legal action is being taken. Anoop Kumar Singh | Sangipur (Pratapgarh) Courtesy: Hindi News
Mamata calls for TMC rebuild after Bengal polls, says ‘those who want to leave can go’
The TMC supremo said the organisation would rise again despite suffering a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. After the TMC faced its worst electoral setback in years, party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged its candidates who contested the recent assembly polls to rebuild the organisation, asserting that those wishing to quit the party were free to do so. At a meeting with the Trinamool Congress’ contesting candidates at her Kalighat residence, attended by its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, she said the organisation would rise again despite suffering a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. “Those who are leaving for other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party afresh. To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If needed, I too will paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People’s mandate has been looted,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by party sources. The remarks came days after the TMC was reduced from the ruling party to the opposition benches following a dramatic reversal in electoral fortunes. Of the 294 assembly seats in the state, the party managed to win only 80. Mamata Banerjee herself suffered defeat in Bhabanipur, long considered her political bastion. The TMC had fielded candidates in 291 seats, leaving three seats in the Darjeeling hills to its ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) led by Anit Thapa. Of these, only 80 candidates emerged victorious, while 211 lost, including several heavyweight leaders and ministers. The meeting at Kalighat was convened for candidates who had contested the elections on the party’s ticket amid reports of internal discontent and speculation over possible defections after the electoral debacle. Saturday’s meeting echoed Banerjee’s remarks made a day after the results were declared. Addressing a press conference on May 5, she had said she was aware that some leaders might switch camps. “I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. I have nothing to say about that. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back,” she had said. The TMC’s official X handle later posted photographs of the meeting and praised the contesting candidates for their fight during the election campaign. “Today, our Hon’ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our Hon’ble National General Secretary @abhishekaitc met with our contesting candidates, at Kalighat. They fought with unmatched courage despite facing unimaginable atrocities and relentless intimidation. The Trinamool Congress stands united as one family. We will never bow before those who loot the people’s mandate. Truth will prevail,” the party posted on X. The post also reiterated the party’s charge that the electoral mandate had been “stolen”, a claim repeatedly raised by TMC leaders after the poll results. Party insiders said Banerjee used the meeting to boost the morale of candidates who had contested the polls and send a message of unity amid a difficult phase for the organisation. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
BJP MPs Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay won elections with help of bogus votes: TPCC chief Mahesh
TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Friday urged the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised while conducting the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Telangana. HYDERABAD: Alleging that BJP MPs G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar had won elections through “bogus votes” and were therefore nervous about the ongoing debate over voter verification, TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Friday urged the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised while conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Telangana. Pointing out that there are no elections scheduled in the state for the next two years, Mahesh said the Congress had urged the Election Commission to conduct the SIR exercise in Telangana over a one-year period instead of rushing the process. The TPCC chief, along with MLAs, MPs and MLCs, met State Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy at BRK Bhavan and submitted a representation on the SIR process. Addressing the media later, the TPCC chief alleged that large-scale voter manipulation had taken place across 14 states and claimed that the voter verification exercise was being carried out in an “undemocratic manner”. Referring to West Bengal, he alleged that political equations in the state were altered through voter list manipulation, resulting in parties expected to come to power losing elections. He alleged that the large-scale deletion of voters during the SIR process altered the electoral outcome in West Bengal. While 90 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls in the eastern state, only 30 lakh were added, he claimed. Mahesh also expressed concern over conducting the SIR process alongside the ongoing Census exercise, stating that it could create confusion and irregularities. He warned that poor voters could face difficulties in producing required documents if their names were deleted from voter lists. Demanding safeguards in the verification process, the TPCC president said that voters should be given at least three months’ time and Booth Level Officers should visit households three times for proper verification. He cautioned that in some places there was a danger of deleting votes under the pretext of identifying “foreign nationals”. The TPCC chief said no citizenship proof should be made mandatory during the SIR process and pointed out that a passport was only one among the 14 accepted documents. He said the voter verification drive should be conducted without harassing citizens. Mahesh also alleged that, under the guise of the SIR exercise, there was an attempt to target and delete the votes of people who believe in secular values. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Rajasthan days after exam cancellation over paper leak allegations
According to family members, Pradeep was expecting to score over 650 marks in NEET-UG 2026, a score they believed could have got him admission to any reputed government medical college. JAIPUR: A 23-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar on Friday, days after the cancellation of the NEET-2026 examination amid allegations of a massive paper leak. The deceased, identified as Pradeep Mahich, allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister’s scarf at his rented accommodation in Sikar’s Jaldhari Nagar area on Piprali Road. Originally from a village in Jhunjhunu district, Pradeep had been preparing for NEET in Sikar for the last three years. According to family members, Pradeep was expecting to score over 650 marks in NEET-UG 2026, a score they believed could have got him admission to any reputed government medical college. His relatives claim he had been under severe mental trauma ever since the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the examination following the paper leak controversy. Pradeep’s family and members of the local community gathered outside the mortuary of SK Hospital after the incident. Pradeep, the only son of a financially struggling family, lived in Sikar with his two sisters who were preparing for railway recruitment exams, his father Rajesh Kumar Meghwal said. According to police and family members, the incident took place on Friday afternoon. Pradeep’s younger sister had gone to coaching classes while his elder sister was in the bathroom, when Pradeep allegedly hanged himself inside the room. When the elder sister returned, she found him hanging from the ceiling fan. She immediately informed the landlord and alerted the police. Police personnel reached the spot and rushed Pradeep to SK Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The police is investigating the matter based on the information provided by the family. The tragedy comes amid a widening investigation into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which has placed Rajasthan’s coaching hub Sikar under intense scrutiny. Before the examination held on May 3, a 150-page document titled “Guess Paper” was allegedly circulated among students in Rajasthan’s Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts. The document reportedly contained 410 questions, of which 135 are alleged to have matched the actual NEET paper. According to sources, the similarities extended beyond the questions themselves. Officials reportedly found matches in the sequence of options, language patterns, and even punctuation marks. On May 7, the NTA acknowledged receiving inputs regarding alleged irregularities, four days after the examination. Around the same time, Special Operations Group (SOG) teams reached Sikar and Jhunjhunu to begin an investigation. On May 8, the NTA formally handed over the matter to central agencies. The Rajasthan SOG subsequently launched a full-scale investigation into the alleged paper leak. By May 12, at least 13 people had reportedly been arrested from Sikar and several other locations across the country, including Jaipur, Nashik and Gurugram. Among those currently in custody are Dinesh Binwal, his brother Mangilal, Mangilal’s son Vikas, and another accused, Rakesh, who allegedly operated a consultancy firm linked to the racket. Investigators suspect that Dinesh Binwal allegedly procured the leaked paper for his son Rishi, who was preparing for NEET in Sikar, and later sold it to other candidates for money. The probe has also expanded to examine admissions secured by other members of the Binwal family last year. Sources claim that five children from the families of Dinesh and Mangilal, all considered academically average, had reportedly cleared NEET in 2025. The revelation has now raised fresh questions over the integrity of last year’s examination process as well. Rajesh Asnani Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Attack on a family in Tilsuwa, Malihabad: Accused of setting cattle on fire, case filed against accused
A Dalit family was attacked, hurled casteist slurs, and their cattle were set on fire in Tilsuwa village, under the Malihabad police station area of Malihabad, Lucknow. Based on the victim’s complaint, the police have registered a case and begun an investigation. The victim, Santosh Kumar, a resident of Tilsuwa village, stated in his police complaint that on March 15, 2026, four to five young men armed with sticks arrived at his home. The accused included Balendra Yadav alias Nitin and Abhay Yadav, along with three unidentified individuals. According to the victim, the accused stood outside the house, shouted casteist slurs, banged on the door, and threatened to kill the family if they came out. Frightened, the family refused to open the door. The miscreants then beat a pregnant cow and two buffaloes tied near the house and set their shed on fire. The incident was immediately reported to Dial 112. Police and fire brigade teams arrived at the scene, but by then the accused had fled. The victim alleged that while leaving, the accused threatened to kill his entire family if they complained. The victim also stated that he had previously submitted a petition to the Malihabad police in this regard, but no action was taken. Two months later, on the instructions of the ACP, a case has been registered and an investigation has been initiated. Malihabad ACP Sujit Kumar Dubey stated that based on Santosh’s complaint, a case has been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Act (SC/ST Act) and other relevant sections and the matter is being investigated. Courtesy: Hindi News
Why are Dalit organisations staging an indefinite protest for the PTCL Act in Karnataka?
To understand the reasons behind the protests at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, one has to look back at the sordid history of the hostility of the revenue bureaucracy and apathy of the judiciary towards the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, 1978 (PTCL Act). “Do you see those apartments? That is where our lands used to be,” Krishnamurthy, a resident of Attibele in Bengaluru, said. Growing up in a landless Dalit family, he heard stories about how once his family had owned some land in the village, which was sold off for a petty amount. But nobody in his family knew where those lands were. This was Krishnamurthy’s primary motivation in joining a prominent Dalit organisation, founded by a leader from his own village. After hundreds of visits to the local tehsildar office, he discovered that his grandfather was granted 3 acres of land in 1951 with the condition that the land could never be alienated. But in 1958, the land was sold to a Lingayat landlord of the village. Since then, the land was transacted many times, eventually being bought by a developer who erected residential apartments on it. The land was worth a fortune today, if only Krishnamurthy could get it back. This is where the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, 1978 (PTCL Act, 1978) came in. This special legislation was enacted to come to the aid of landless families like Krishnamurthy’s, allowing them to reclaim their lands which were alienated in violation of any of the conditions attached to the grant. But there was a problem. The Supreme Court of India had delivered a judgement in Nekkanti Rama Lakshmi vs State of Karnataka (2017), which held that applications for restitution of lands under the PTCL Act, 1978 should be filed without “unreasonable delay”. By the time Krishnamurthy could collect all the necessary documents, 40 years had elapsed since the enactment of this legislation, and he feared that his application would be dismissed on grounds of “unreasonable delay” as had happened to hundreds of others like him, who had become aware about this legislation only recently. For this reason, he was mobilising youths like himself to participate in the indefinite protests at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, when we met him in November 2022. Several Dalit organisations, including his own, were demanding that the government pass an amendment to overcome the difficulties created by the Supreme Court verdict. Eventually, these protests lasted for 208 days (7 months), and while the outgoing BJP government did not heed the demands, the Congress included them in their 10-point poll promises for the Dalit community in the state. When the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government came to power in Karnataka in 2023, one of the first legislative steps it took was to bring an amendment to the PTCL Act, 1978, raising hopes among those like Krishnamurthy that they can now get their lands back. But these hopes have been belied. Dalit organisations have resumed their protest on April 30, with a charter of 15 demands. To understand why such a protest became necessary despite the 2023 amendment, one has to look back at the sordid history of how the hostility of the revenue bureaucracy and apathy of the judiciary towards the objectives of this special legislation has almost entirely hollowed it out. Historical sources of land ownership for Dalits in Karnataka Broadly, there are three sources through which any person can come to own a piece of land – inheritance, purchase, and grant by the government. Historically, the first two channels were closed to Dalits because of the operation of custom, economics, and statutory law, undergirded by their location in the caste system, as noted by Dr BR Ambedkar in Untouchables or the Children of India’s Ghetto (BAWS, Vol 5, p 23): In an agrarian country, farming can be the main source of living. But this source of earning a living is generally not open to the Untouchables. This is so for a variety of reasons. In the first place, purchase of land is beyond their means. Secondly, even if an Untouchable has the money to purchase land s/he has no opportunity to do so. In most parts, the caste Hindus would resent an Untouchable coming forward to purchase land and thereby trying to become the equal of the so-called ‘Touchable’ class of Hindus. Such an act of courage on the part of an Untouchable would be seen as a provocation for harsh collective punishment. An entire community could be targeted for an individual’s transgression. In some parts, Dalits are disabled by law from purchasing land. For instance, in the Province of Punjab there is a law called the Land Alienation Act. This law specifies the communities which can purchase land and the Untouchables are excluded from the list. The result is that in most part the Untouchables are forced to be landless labourers. The reference here is to the Punjab Agricultural Land Alienation Act, 1901 which classified communities into agricultural and non-agricultural, and prohibited acquisition of land by the later sets of communities. Two of the most populous Dalit communities were included in the non-agricultural category, prohibiting transfer of lands to them. While the Dalits were not statutorily prohibited from purchasing land in the Princely State of Mysore, other caste-derived disabilities operated to ensure that here too, they were largely landless labourers. The 1931 Census, considered to be the most comprehensive, showed that while the Depressed Classes comprised only 15% of the population of the state, their share in agricultural labourers was over 36%. Of all the members of Depressed Classes deriving income from agriculture, over 46% were agricultural labourers, while just over 8% were tenant cultivators. Historically, there were two major sources of land ownership among Dalits in the Princely State of Mysore – grants of lands referred to as darkhast lands and gift of lands in lieu of services referred to as inams. The rulers of
Transcending Barriers: Maya Thakur’s Advocacy for Transgender Reforms in India
Activist Maya Thakur urges Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to implement systemic reforms in criminal and labor laws to support the transgender community in India. Highlighting discrimination in jobs and education, Thakur calls for overseas job opportunities and European partnership initiatives to provide a safer environment for transgender individuals. In a passionate plea for reform, transgender activist Maya Thakur has addressed a letter to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. She seeks systemic changes in criminal and labor laws to end discrimination against the transgender community. Thakur highlighted enduring biases in education and employment, drawing attention to the difficulty transgender individuals face in finding jobs and housing, especially in North India . Praising recent initiatives for overseas job placements, Thakur suggested collaborations with European countries to secure inclusive employment opportunities, citing Germany and Norway as models for safety and inclusivity. Courtesy : Devdiscourse Note: This news is originally published on https:/devdiscourse.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Transgender Advocate Speaks Out: Systemic Reforms Needed for Inclusion
Activist Maya Thakur calls for systemic reforms in India’s criminal and labor laws to address discrimination against transgender people. She urges Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to facilitate overseas job opportunities, highlighting ongoing challenges in employment and housing for transgender individuals, particularly in North India. Activist Maya Thakur has urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to implement systemic reforms addressing challenges faced by India’s transgender community. In her letter, Thakur called for changes in criminal and labor laws to combat discrimination. Thakur, known as an ‘election icon’ for Solan, pointed out difficulties transgender people encounter in securing jobs and housing, particularly in North India. She highlighted the Himachal government’s efforts to facilitate overseas employment for youth and suggested similar opportunities for transgender individuals. Citing examples from European countries, Thakur proposed partnerships to recruit transgender persons for jobs abroad. She stressed the need for legal reforms, like stricter overtime provisions and anti-corruption measures, to improve living conditions for transgender individuals in the region. Courtesy : Devdiscourse Note: This news is originally published on https:/devdiscourse.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights