Transgender community, activists demand space for talks, acceptance, & infrastructure
Ranchi: A pride month sensitisation programme was held on Saturday bringing together transgender individuals, mental health professionals, civil society organisations, and govt representatives. The event was organised by the Child in Need Institute (CINI) under its G-SAFE+ initiative, in collaboration with RINPAS and other community stakeholders. The aim of the event was to create a space for dialogue on the legal, psychological, and infrastructural needs of the transgender community while celebrating their identity and resilience. Citing the poor implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment that mandated transgender welfare boards in every state, Jharkhand high court Ritwik Sinha said, “We are talking about rights, but they remain largely on paper. There is zero follow-up.” Mental health emerged as a key focus, with statistics revealing that mental health issues are four times more prevalent among transgender individuals. Dr Manisha Kiran, the HOD of Psychiatric and Social Work at RINPAS, attributed high school dropout rates to bullying and lack of support. Discrimination, emotional negligence, minority stress and rejection, verbal and sometimes physical abuse, along with stigma, push the trans community into anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse. “The govt should actively involve members of the transgender community in lawmaking for the community and needs to invest in research in this area, as the lack of data in the region hinders effective policy making,” said S J Sangeeta of CINI. Amarjeet Shergil of Utthaan CBO, a group led by LGBTQIA+ members from Jamshedpur, lamented the lack of basic facilities in Ranchi for transgender community. “Jamshedpur and Chaibasa have separate washrooms, but Ranchi doesn’t. We’re seen as provocateurs — people murder, rape, and abuse us, but no police reports are filed,” she said, calling for dedicated transgender cells in police stations. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/thetelegraph.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
ID cards for transgenders originally from Assam: Sarma
Add Your Heading Text HeGuwahati: The Assam cabinet on Sunday classified the transgender community in the state as a socially and educationally backward class.re “Today our cabinet has granted the status of socially and educationally backward class to the third gender, whom we call transgenders. But we will give identity cards to only those who are residents of Assam. This status won’t be enjoyed by those transgenders who are here for various works. It will only be enjoyed by those who are the original inhabitants,” CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said during a press conference, following a cabinet meeting. The cabinet’s decision to classify the transgender community as ‘socially and educationally backward classes’ is in line with the spirit of the direction of the Supreme Court. District commissioners have been saddled with the responsibility to verify an applicants status when issuing identity cards. The cabinet also approved a new initiative called ‘Shradhanjali’, which will support transportation of deceased bodies of students and youths working in other states. The state govt will prioritise covering the costs of bringing back the remains of low-income youth workers who may have died while working in other states, said a govt release. “In this year’s budget, we decided that if youths or students, especially if they die outside the state, the govt will bring back their bodies with respect. Today, the state cabinet has approved a scheme named Shradhanjali. Under this scheme, their bodies will be brought back at the state govt’s expenditure,” Sarma said. From Oct 1, the scheme will ensure easy, lawful, and coordinated transportation of the bodies from other states. According to an official statement, the scheme will primarily be applicable for youth engaged in low-wage employment outside the state and those who have died in exceptional circumstances like murders and accidents. Deaths during medical treatments, outside Assam, have been excluded. A DIG-level officer from the Assam Police special branch will serve as the nodal officer to oversee the return of the bodies. The statement said families can report through local administration, police or by dialling 112. Without formal implementation, approximately 15 bodies have already returned to the state this year, the statement said. Further, the cabinet approved the creation of the Rabha development council for people from the Rabha community residing outside the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) area. The council will implement welfare programmes to enhance the socio-economic, educational and cultural development. In other major decisions, the cabinet approved the Assam State Mineral Exploration Trust Rules, 2025, for establishing the State Mineral Exploration Trust (SMET) to advance exploration of minor minerals such as sand, gravel, stone, granite, limestone, quartzite and china clay. They also approved allocation of a site to Hinduja Renewables Energy Private Limited for a 900 MW off-stream pumped storage project in West Karbi Anglong. “With an investment of Rs 5400 crores, this project will contribute towards achieving the state’s target of 2 GW PSP capacity by 2030,” the release said. The cabinet also approved establishment of Rs 3000 crore SEBI-registered Assam Industrial and Green Growth Fund — an alternate investment fund for Assam with Anchor Investment worth Rs 500 crore in a phased manner to mobilise long-term capital for renewable energy, green infrastructure, priority start-ups, agro-tech, tourism, MSMEs and other priority sectors. The cabinet has also agreed to fill half the supervisor posts with experienced Anganwadi workers, while maintaining direct recruitment for the remaining positions. Moreover, two wetlands in Goalpara and Urpad and Hasila Beel has been designated as proposed reserve forests. The cabinet also approved an increased honorarium for cook cum helpers, under the PM POSHAN scheme from Oct. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Thakurs stone Dalit wedding party over route in an Uttar Pradesh village, four injured
Thakurs had objected to the route taken by the groom’s party on its way to the Dalit bride’s home in village Dhakpur in Etah district, says senior superintendent of police Shyam Narayan Singh Thakurs stoned a Dalit groom’s procession in an Uttar Pradesh village on Saturday night, leaving a police constable and three baraatis injured, police sources said. The Thakurs had objected to the route taken by the groom’s party on its way to the Dalit bride’s home in village Dhakpur in Etah district, senior superintendent of police Shyam Narayan Singh said on Sunday morning. “The marriage was solemnised in the presence of the police and the bride left for the groom’s home in a peaceful atmosphere,” Singh said. A relative of the bride said on the condition of anonymity that the family would not lodge a police complaint. “The Thakurs had declared two days ago that they wouldn’t let the baraat pass through their hamlet,” he said. “We gave a written application to the police and they deployed cops on the route, which was shorter than the one the Thakurs wanted us to take.” The Thakurs blocked the procession and the stoning began in the presence of the police. Singh said: “Stone-throwing during a minor altercation between villagers from the two communities left constable Sunil Kumar injured. He has been admitted to hospital.” Another police source said three baraatis too suffered injuries. “Nobody should be allowed to block any road for any reason. The villagers are peace-loving. They listened to us and allowed the baraat to pass through its chosen route,” Singh said. He added: “The girl’s father died a few years ago, and so the entire village had pitched in for the marriage. However, we have deployed forces in the village to avert any backlash.” Dev Charan, a relative of the groom, said: “The police helped us complete the marriage rituals and we returned home (to another village in the district) without any ill-will against anybody.” A member of the Thakur community was quoted as telling local reporters: “They suddenly decided to follow a route that was not in their plans before. We don’t know who started pelting them with stones.” On April 17, some upper caste villagers of Chhalesar in Agra, 85km west of Etah, had attacked a Dalit groom for riding a horse and playing music on his way to the bride’s home. Piyush Srivastava Courtesy ; The Telegraph Note: This news is originally published on https:/thetelegraph.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Cong forms panel to probe two Dalit men’s murder in Chhatarpur
Bhopal: Congress state unit president Jitu Patwari on Sunday announced the formation of a four-member panel to probe the recent murders of two Scheduled Caste men in Chhatarpur district. In a statement, the party said a man from the SC community was shot dead by anti-social elements at Lav Kush Nagar on June 21, while his wife and daughter were abducted. Earlier, a resident of Naugaon was killed allegedly by a group of influential individuals. The committee comprises former minister Surendra Chaudhary, former MLA Narayan Prajapati, Kiran Ahirwar and Pradeep Khatik. It will look into the circumstances of the two incidents, and submit a report to the Pradesh Congress Committee, the statement added. In a separate post on ‘X’, Patwari said a woman and her two children were abducted from their home in Chhatarpur. The abductors arrived in a car, opened fire, and escaped with the three victims, he claimed. He further wrote that despite disconcerting figures of “atrocities against women, crimes against women are touching new heights” in the state and CM Mohan Yadav, who holds the home portfolio, has nothing to say on the “worsening law & order situation” in the state. Bhopal: Congress state unit president Jitu Patwari on Sunday announced the formation of a four-member panel to probe the recent murders of two Scheduled Caste men in Chhatarpur district. In a statement, the party said a man from the SC community was shot dead by anti-social elements at Lav Kush Nagar on June 21, while his wife and daughter were abducted. Earlier, a resident of Naugaon was killed allegedly by a group of influential individuals. The committee comprises former minister Surendra Chaudhary, former MLA Narayan Prajapati, Kiran Ahirwar and Pradeep Khatik. It will look into the circumstances of the two incidents, and submit a report to the Pradesh Congress Committee, the statement added. In a separate post on ‘X’, Patwari said a woman and her two children were abducted from their home in Chhatarpur. The abductors arrived in a car, opened fire, and escaped with the three victims, he claimed. He further wrote that despite disconcerting figures of “atrocities against women, crimes against women are touching new heights” in the state and CM Mohan Yadav, who holds the home portfolio, has nothing to say on the “worsening law & order situation” in the state. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Two decades on, hunger still haunts Gujarat: Survey exposes stark gap behind poverty claims
A Niti Aayog report, released about two years ago, estimated that in Gujarat — which our powers-that-be have long considered a model state — 11.66% of people are “multidimensionally poor,” a term referring to an index that seeks to estimate “multiple and simultaneous deprivations” at the household level across three macro categories: health, education, and living standards. The report suggests that multidimensional poverty in Gujarat declined by around 7% over a period of five years, pointing out that in tribal-dominated districts, where poverty levels were particularly high, there has been a clear improvement: in Dahod from 54.93% to 38.27%, in Dangs from 57.33% to 26.61%, in Narmada from 37.11% to 22.62%, and in Panchmahal from 41.52% to 18.11%. Basing its estimates on the National Family Health Surveys of 2015–16 and 2019–21, the report claims the “most rapid reduction” in multidimensional poverty occurred in districts located in four states: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. While not directly disputing what the Government of India report highlights regarding Gujarat, a new survey carried out by a civil rights group in two tribal districts — Dahod and Panchmahal — and two non-tribal districts — Bhavnagar and Morbi — suggests that things aren’t as rosy as they are made out to be. A follow-up to a similar survey carried out in 2004, the new survey — conducted in 2025 by Anandi (Area Networking and Development Initiatives or ASAA) — reveals that, even after two decades, total food security continues to elude nearly 80% of the population in the surveyed areas. To quote Sejal A. Dand, a senior activist directly involved in both the 2004 and 2025 surveys, two decades ago, 10% of people were found to be “food secure,” and this percentage has gone up by just 2% over the years — to 12%. Releasing details of the 2025 survey, which was conducted with the help of senior academic Prof. Dipa Sinha, currently with Azim Premji University, another Anandi activist, Neeta Hardikar, told the Ahmedabad media that there is certainly a change: unlike in 2004, there is “no full day hunger” as found then, “but our survey suggests that a large number of households often don’t have access to food, especially in the tribal areas.” The survey results confirm this: in 2004, it was found that in the sample households of the tribal area of Panchmahal, a staggering 73.66% were food insecure for more than six months in a year. In contrast, the 2025 survey shows that 7.06% “live in hunger,” while a whopping 86.38% have “incomplete meal,” and only 6.56% have a “full meal.” Conditions are worse in Dahod district: here, 24.61% live in hunger, 58.78% have “incomplete meal,” and only 16.61% have a “full meal.” The 2025 results indicate that the situation is not much better in the non-tribal areas of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat where the survey was also conducted. In Malia (Morbi district), 9.10% “lived in hunger,” 75.51% had “incomplete meal,” while only 15.38% had a “full meal.” Similarly, in Shihor and Umrala of Bhavnagar district, 15.98% “lived in hunger”, 54.84% had “incomplete meal,” and just 14.13% had a “full meal.” The 2025 survey was undertaken specifically to assess how effectively the National Food Security Act, 2013 — which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of the country’s 1.4 billion people — has been implemented since it became operational in Gujarat about a decade ago. A total of 1,261 households were included in the survey, mostly belonging to marginalised communities, with a deliberate effort to include those facing social vulnerabilities such as single women, the disabled, and the elderly. “The results are therefore not representative of the state on average, but they give an indication of what is happening among some of the vulnerable communities in the state — these were the communities and families that the NFSA was expected to help,” a survey note underlines. It adds, “Over a third (34%) belonged to Adivasi communities and more than half (54%) to OBC communities. Most of the Adivasi respondents are from Dahod and Panchmahal, and the OBCs from Bhavnagar and Morbi. The remaining were SCs and OBCs, with only 21 respondents belonging to the ‘general’ category.” While 86% of the respondents reported having a smartphone in the household — the lowest in Dahod (77.3%) and highest in Morbi (93.1%) — only 43.7% had cultivable land. Most of the households in Bhavnagar and Morbi owned no cultivable land (over 80%), while in the tribal districts of Dahod and Panchmahal, most households were engaged in their own cultivation, although the land size was less than 2 bighas. Respondents were asked about the frequency of consumption of different foods for each season (summer, monsoon, winter) — cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, and flesh foods (chicken, meat, eggs) — to define what qualifies as a “full meal.” The “incomplete meal” category was used to identify households where not all members consume rice, dal, fruits, vegetables, milk, curd, meat, eggs, oil, etc., on a regular basis. These households rely mainly on carbohydrate-based food to satisfy hunger. The “living with hunger” category identified households whose meals are “donated, borrowed, and largely cereal-based, infrequent and inadequate.” The note observed: “In spite of the legislation, which covers 75% of rural households under the targeted public distribution system, the proportion of households which are not food secure is very high. Only around 12% of the households are able to entirely meet their food security needs in the sense of having a diverse diet regularly, including foods from different food groups.” By Rajiv Shah Courtesy : Counterview Note: This news is originally published on https:/counterview.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
After Rahul Gandhi’s big experiment in Gujarat, Congress announced city and district presidents, see full list
Gujarat Congress District President List: To defeat BJP in the 2027 Gujarat assembly elections, Congress started the organization creation campaign in March. Under this, Congress had decided to give strength to the district and city presidents. Congress has announced the names of new district and city presidents for the state. Ahmedabad: Congress has announced the new district and city heads of the state after the exercise of organization creation campaign in Gujarat. On the initiative of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the party had changed the process of appointment of district presidents from Gujarat. The party has made Sonal Patel the Ahmedabad city president, while the old heads have been retained in Vadodara city and district. Rahul Gandhi had visited Gujarat. After this, he appointed PCC observers along with the appointment of AICC observers. After this the party has appointed new city / district presidents. The presidents have been repeated in the list announced by the Congress, but according to an estimate, there are about 50 percent such names. Those who have got the responsibility of district / city president for the first time. Congress announced 40 city and district presidents for Gujarat. 2027 assembly election target A statement issued by the Congress said that the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the appointment of District and City Congress Committee (DCC) presidents in Gujarat with immediate effect. These appointments have been made after a long exercise done under a rigorous organizational under the Organization Creation Campaign. To give a tough fight to the BJP in the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress has started the process of change in the organization from Gujarat. Its goal has been set to revive the party structure from booth to district level. List of new district and city presidents of Gujarat Congress Sl. No. Name of District/City President 1 Ahmedabad City Sonal Patel 2 Ahmedabad Rural Rajesh Kumar Gohil 3 Amreli Pratap Dudhat 4 Anand Alpesh Padiyar 5 Aravalli Amubhai Patel 6 Banaskantha Gulab Singh Rajput 7 Bharuch Rajendra Singh Rana 8 Bhavnagar Rural Pravinbhai Rathore 9 Bhavnagar City Manohar Singh Lalbha 10 Botad Himmat Kataria 11 Chhota Udepur Shashikant Rathwa 12 Dahod Harshadbhai Ninama 13 Dang Snehil Thackeray 14 Devbhoomi Dwarka Palbhai Ambalia 15 Gandhi Nagar Arvind Singh Solanki 16 Gandhinagar City Shakti Patel 17 Shakti Patel Punjabhai Vansh 18 Jamnagar City Virendrasinh Jadeja alias Diggubhai 19 Jamnagar Rural Manoj Kathiria 20 Junagadh City Manoj Joshi 21 Kheda Kalusingh Dabhi 22 Kutch V.K. Hambal 23 Mahisagar Harshad Shantilal Patel 24 Mahesana Baldevji Thakor 25 Morbi Kishorbhai Chikhlia 26 Narmada Ranjitsinh Tadvi 27 Navsari Shaileshbhai Patel 28 Panchmahal Chetansinh Parmar 29 Patan Ghembarbhai Patel 30 Porbandar Rambhai Maru 31 Rajkot City Dr. Rajdeepsinh Jadeja 32 Rajkot Rural Hitesh M Vohra 33 Sabarkantha Rambhai Solanki 34 Surat Rural Anand Chaudhary 35 Surat City Vipul Babubhai Udhnawala 36 Surendranagar Naushad Solanki 37 Naushad Solanki Naushad Solanki 38 Naushad Solanki Jashpal Singh Padhiyar 39 Vadodara City Ritwik Joshi 40 Valsad Kishanbhai B Patel Observers were announced in April The party had announced Gujarat Assembly polls on April 12, 2025 43 AICC observers and 183 PCC observers were deployed in all the districts of the state. These included state in-charges, MPs, MLAs and former PCC presidents. After this, the AICC observers along with the PCC observers visited all 26 Lok Sabha constituencies, 182 assembly constituencies and almost all 235 block Congress committees. After this, the names of the district and city presidents were decided. Congress is in the worst position in Gujarat till now. Out of 26 Lok Sabha seats, Congress has only Banaskantha seat, while it has only 12 MLAs in the assembly. Congress state chief Shakti Singh Gohil is the only Rajya Sabha member. His term is till April next year. Written by: Achalendra Katiyar Achalendra Katiyar has studied from Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi. After this, he worked in reputed national newspapers of Meerut, Kanpur and Delhi. Since June 2020, he has been active in understanding the politics and culture of Gujarat. Courtesy: Hindi News
Andhra Pradesh: 15-year-old Dalit girl sexually abused by 14 men for two years, now in hospital eight months pregnant..
The painful truth of a 15-year-old pregnant girl: Sexual abuse by 14 men, failure of the system In a district hospital in Andhra Pradesh, a 15-year-old girl, who is eight months pregnant, is spending her days in a 150-bed ward among other pregnant women and newborns. Officials have called it dangerous to terminate the pregnancy at this stage and have also considered it unsafe to send her back to her village. The girl, who was sexually abused by 14 men for two years, belongs to a Scheduled Caste (Madiga) community and her village is dominated by upper castes. The investigation, which began after the girl’s mother filed a police complaint in the first week of June, has exposed the very system that was created to protect such vulnerable girls. “Due to her young age, poverty and caste, she became an easy target for exploitation. Systems like school monitoring and community welfare checks failed completely,” said Superintendent of Police V. Ratna. The teen’s horrific experience began when she was 13 and studying in Class 8. After her father’s death, her mother, who was single, moved to a village near the Karnataka border. According to the police, one of the accused found the teen and her classmate, who was also from the Scheduled Caste, alone after school and clicked their photographs. Threatening to leak these photographs on social media, the two men forced her to sexually abuse them through physical violence and fear and also made a video of it. These videos and photographs were used by others to further exploit the teen. When the teen’s pregnancy was discovered, her mother approached the police. On June 9, the police arrested six of the accused and later detained 11 more. There are a total of 17 accused, of whom 14 allegedly sexually abused her for two years and three, including her minor classmate, did not inform the authorities. All have been arrested. The accused include three minors and 11 men aged between 18 and 51. They have been booked under the Indian Penal Code, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Information Technology Act. The police are also investigating why the teenager’s Class 10 teachers did not report her long absence. “In such a crucial academic year, her non-residentship should have been noticed,” said SP Ratna. Local welfare systems, such as Grama Mahila Sanrakshan Karyakarsh volunteers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), also failed to take note of the family’s situation even though it was known that the mother was suffering from depression and financial hardships after her husband’s death. Of the 17 accused, 14 are from the influential Boya community, while three, including the classmate, are from the Scheduled Caste. Officials say leaders of the Boya community tried to get the teenager married to her classmate to hush up the case. For safety reasons, the teenager will be kept in the hospital till her delivery, scheduled after July 21. “Sending her back to the village is risky,” an official said. After the delivery, the teenager and her baby will be shifted to a government women’s shelter. According to hospital sources, the teenager is anaemic and suffering from depression. She is being provided medical care and counselling. “As Dalits, she and her mother are vulnerable,” an official said, and stressed the need to ensure their safety during the investigation. Courtesy : Rajan Chaudhary, Hindi News
“SC hai? To neeche khada raho!” — Video of BJP MLA removing Dalit Sarpanch from stage goes viral, creates ruckus
A video went viral on social media, in which BJP MLA PV Parthasarathy is seen stopping a Dalit Sarpanch from coming on stage, public is deeply angry about the incident. Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh): A video from Adoni in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh has gone viral on social media, in which BJP MLA PV Parthasarathy is seen stopping a Dalit Sarpanch from coming on stage during a public program and allegedly insulting him. It is alleged that he did this after knowing the caste of the Sarpanch. This incident is said to have taken place on June 16, when the MLA was addressing a gathering in his constituency. In the video, Parthasarathy calls out to a Sarpanch standing in the crowd, “Hey Sarpanch, come here, why are you standing there?” When the Sarpanch hesitates to move forward, the MLA asks, “Are you Christian?” In response, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader standing near him says, “He is from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Sir.” The video then shows the BJP MLA and the TDP leader pointing to the ground in front of the stage and asking the sarpanch to stand there instead of coming on stage. The MLA says, “Okay, then stand here,” and the sarpanch stands there quietly. During this, the TDP leader is seen repeatedly covering her face from the camera, as if she is uncomfortable with the recording. After the video surfaced, there are sharp reactions on social media. Many users have called it a casteist insult in public. A user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Who is more responsible – the casteist leader who insulted the Dalit Sarpanch, or the Sarpanch who remained silent, putting power above self-respect? This silence gives courage to those who insult Dalits, Muslims and marginalized people every day.” Another user wrote, “BJP MLA publicly says to Dalit Sarpanch – ‘Oh, SC hai?’ This is not a slip of tongue, this is the real face of caste supremacy.” So far, there has been no official response from either MLA Parthasarathy or the BJP on this entire matter. Courtesy : Rajan Chaudhary, Hindi News
Tamil Nadu BJP seeks probe after Dalit man found dead at Muslim girlfriend’s home
A Dalit man died by suicide at his girlfriend’s house in Kanyakumari district, following which the Tamil Nadu BJP questioned the investigation. The party cited her family’s links with ruling DMK and called for police neutrality in the probe. A man identified as Dhanush was found dead in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district after he allegedly died by suicide by hanging himself at the residence of a woman he had reportedly been in a relationship with. According to police sources, the incident took place on Sunday in Kulasekaram, and preliminary investigations indicate that his death followed the woman’s decision to cut off contact with him. Dhanush, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, was employed at an IT company in Coimbatore. The woman he was in a relationship with was from the Muslim community. Police have confirmed that no suicide note was recovered from the scene, and that his family has not made any direct accusations against anyone. The BJP has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the death, pointing to the woman’s reported familial links with the ruling DMK. BJP state president Nainar Nagendran has both demanded a thorough and independent investigation into the case, alleging potential political interference. In a post on X, Nagendran stated, “Dhanush, a young man from a Hindu Scheduled Caste community who was about to marry a woman of a different religion in Kulasekaram, Kanyakumari district, has been found dead in a mysterious manner after hanging himself. That too, the fact that he hanged himself on the roof of the house of the woman he loved has created a lot of suspicion and anxiety.” He further claimed, “With reports that the woman’s close relatives are in the DMK, the question has arisen in everyone’s mind whether this case will be investigated properly.” Nagendran criticised the state government’s handling of caste-related violence and urged the Tamil Nadu Police to ensure a proper autopsy is conducted without any bias. “The police should not act unilaterally with the intention of supporting the ruling party’s rhetoric,” he wrote, adding that the BJP would continue to support Dhanush’s family in their demand for justice. Courtesy : India Today Note: This news is originally published on https:/indiatoday.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
BJP MLA faces charges of insulting Dalit panchayat president
Danapuram (Andhra Pradesh), June 20 (PTI) BJP MLA from Adoni Constituency in Andhra Pradesh, PV Parthasarathi, is facing charges of insulting a Dalit Panchayat president at Danapuram village in Kurnool district recently. The Panchayat president filed a police complaint. The alleged incident occurred during Parthasarathi’s visit to Dhanapuram on Monday where he was overseeing the Jal Jeevan Mission programme implementation at a temple premises. In a video that has gone viral, Parthasarathi was seen calling the president Chandrashekhar onto the rostrum in the temple premises, however as the president did not turn up, he called for him three-four times and then enquired that if the president was a Christian and hence hesitated to come onto the platform. Then a local woman TDP leader seen and heard in the video whispering to the MLA that the sarpanch belonged to a Schedule Caste (SC), later, the MLA acknowledged the whisper and gestured the sarpanch to stand on the ground in front of the elevated platform. The MLA’s action is being criticised as caste-based discrimination. As the video went viral and triggered a controversy, the BJP MLA responded saying that he asked only about the president’s religion because he “appeared reluctant to step onto the temple platform”. “I called him to join me. As he seemed hesitant, I asked if he was from a different religion. TDP leader responded, as seen in the video,” Parthasarathi told reporters. While denying discrimination, he acknowledged that the TDP leader mentioned his caste and apologised for that, taking full responsibility for what happened in his presence. Meanwhile, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP condemned the MLA’s behaviour, accusing the ruling NDA coalition government of displaying “blatant caste discrimination”. “Why does your alliance have such disdain for SCs, Naidu?” questioned the YSRCP in a post on ‘X’. Similarly, the Human Rights Forum (HRF) condemned BJP MLA for failing to stop the public ‘humiliation’ of Dalit sarpanch during a Jal Jeevan Mission event. “TDP leader blocked the sarpanch, citing his caste,” it claimed, demanding to invoke the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 against both the BJP MLA and the TDP leader and warned of protests if authorities fail to respond. “Despite taking an oath under the Constitution to uphold equality, the BJP MLA’s silence in the face of discrimination is deeply troubling,” said the HRF in a press release. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI) Courtesy : The Week Note: This news is originally published on https:/theweek.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.