Dalit teenager rape case: Meerut accused sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and Rs 2 lakh fine
The court has sentenced the accused to severe punishment in the case of rape of a Dalit teenager in Rampur. Abdul Qadir, a resident of Lisadi Gate, Meerut, has been sentenced by the court to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. The case is of 2 September 2023. The father of the minor living in the Civil Lines police station area had lodged a complaint with the police. He told that his daughter was kidnapped and raped. The police took immediate action and investigated the matter and presented the charge sheet in the court. Special Public Prosecutor Sumit Sharma presented solid evidence against the accused in the court. The defense claimed that the accused has been framed due to enmity. The ADJ POCSO Court pronounced its decision after hearing the arguments of both the parties. Police Captain Vidyasagar Mishra said that the court has settled this serious case in just two years. This decision will send a positive message in the society. Shannu Khan Courtesy : Hindi News
Dalit woman’s house wall broken in Raebareli: Gram Pradhan forcibly got Kharinja installed, victim complained to DM
A case of breaking the wall of a Dalit woman’s house has come to light in Barha village of Lalganj area of Raebareli. A woman named Meena has accused Gram Pradhan Kishore. On January 24, 2025, there was no one in Meena’s house. During this time, the Pradhan along with his associates demolished the wall of her kutcha house. Meena immediately informed the police. When the police arrived, the accused threatened the victim that they would demolish the entire house if she complained. The victim told that the Kharinja installed by former Pradhan Mahendra Singh was at the right place. The current Pradhan has demolished the wall of the house and got Kharinja built from the other side. Meena went to the police station, tehsil and block office for justice. But no officer reached the spot for investigation. On August 2, at 12 noon, Meena gave a complaint letter to District Magistrate Harshita Mathur. She has demanded to register a case against the accused under the SC-ST Act. They have also demanded removal of illegal Kharinja and their own security. Arvind Bharti Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit Tamil Nadu official falls at DMK councillor’s feet, BJP hits out
A video from Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district shows an officer belonging to the Scheduled Caste falling at DMK councillor Ramya Raja’s feet inside Tindivanam Municipality office. He later alleged threats and casteist slurs. BJP’s Annamalai accused DMK of “social injustice.”A video from Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district showing a Scheduled Caste government officer falling at the feet of a DMK councillor inside Tindivanam Municipality office has triggered outrage and political backlash. The officer, Muniyappan, is seen apologising to councillor Ramya Raja as voices in the room asked him to say sorry. Courtesy : India Today Note: This news is originally published on https:/indiatoday.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Dalit boy brutally assaulted, hung upside down for touching water pot in Rajasthan
A shocking incident of assault has come to light from Rajasthan’s Barmer district. An eight-year-old Dalit boy was beaten and hung upside down from a tree after he touched a water pot. The boy’s family said that on Friday two men Narnaran Prajapat and Demaram Prajapat asked the boy to clean a bathroom and garbage. After doing what he was ordered to do, the boy asked for water to clean himself and touched the pot which triggered the brutal attack. The boy’s mother, Puri Devi said, “The men took him to one of their houses and tied hom upside down to a tree and kept beating him mercilessly.” She further explained that the accused men also came after her and her mother-in-law and attacked them for trying to save him. The men stopped assaulting only when one of their relatives started to record the incident. Police registered an FIR on August 30 naming the men including another — Ruparam Prajapat. One of them was arrested soon after under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing grievous hurt, illegal confinement and kidnapping along with provisions of the SC/ST Act. Two others have been detained. Courtesy : Muslim Mirror Note: This news is originally published on https:/muslimmirror.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
UP: Occult practitioner booked for raping Dalit woman
According to the complaint, Alfaz sent the woman’s mother out of the room on some pretext during the ritual and allegedly raped the woman before fleeing the spot. Saharanpur: Police have booked an occult practitioner for allegedly raping a 20-year-old Dalit woman under the pretext of performing rituals, police here said on Monday. The survivor’s family filed a complaint at the Deoband Police Station, accusing Alfaz of raping the woman during a “treatment session” on Sunday night. Additional Superintendent of Police, Rural Sagar Jain, told PTI that Alfaz, a resident of Mohalla Khankah in Deoband, claims to cure serious ailments through occult practices. The victim’s family had called him to their house to treat their ailing daughter. According to the complaint, Alfaz sent the woman’s mother out of the room on some pretext during the ritual and allegedly raped the woman before fleeing the spot. When the woman’s condition worsened, she confided in her mother, who immediately informed her father. The family then approached the police, and the woman was sent for medical examination. Jain said two police teams have been formed to arrest Alfaz. Posted by Marziya Sharif Courtesy : TSD Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesiasatdaily.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
3 men sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Dalit man, injuring his children
Balmiki died on the spot, while his three children suffered bullet injuries. The attack was motivated by an old enmity. Muzaffarnagar: A special SC/ST court here sentenced three men to life imprisonment for killing a Dalit man and injuring his three children last year, officials said. Special Judge Smt. Asharani Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 each on Rajender Jat, his son Mohit Jat, and Virender. The court found them guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 452 (house trespass), 504 (insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), and sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, government counsel Parvendra Kumar told PTI. He said that on February 14, 2023, the accused stormed into the house of Sanjiv Balmiki at Rajpur Kala village under Jansath police station, hurled abuses, and opened fire. Balmiki died on the spot, while his three children suffered bullet injuries. The attack was motivated by an old enmity. Posted by Marziya Shar Courtesy : TSD Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesiasatdaily.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-cif ommercial purposes, especially human rights.
Dalit students beaten by teachers for chanting “Jai Bhim” slogans in Baghpat school
Dalit students of an intermediate college in Dhannoura Silvernagar, Binouli of Uttar Pradesh were allegedly beaten by their teachers for raising “Jai Bhim” slogans during the school prayer on August 26. The students alleged that the incident occurred when some boys changed “Jai Shri Ram” slogans in the assembly. A group of Dalit students, in response, said “Jai Bhim.” Soon after, the Physical Education (PE) teacher took the five Dalit students to a room and beat them with a stick along with two other teachers. One of the students said, “Two teachers held our hands while the PE teacher beat us with a stick.” The students have also accused the Principal of abusing them and hurling castiest slurs while he threatened to expel them from the school. Another student said, “We were abused for saying Jai Bhim. The principal also told us that we are unworthy of education.” The victims expressed shock over the incident and said that they never expected to be abused for uttering a slogan. The students then filed a complaint at the Binouli police station. However, no action was taken. On Friday, the students met with the Superintendent of Police to demand action against the accused. “The SHO of Binouli has been ordered to look into the matter,” said Additional SP Narendra Pratap Singh. Raghavendra Singh, District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) informed, “We haven’t received a written complaint yet in my office. Once we receive it, an investigation will be carried out and action will be taken.” Courtesy : Muslim Mirror Note: This news is originally published on https:/muslimmirror.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Wake up to ‘right-wing opportunism’, Thiruma tells dalit Hindus
Trichy: VCK general secretary Thol Thirumavalavan on Monday urged Scheduled Caste communities to recognise the “opportunistic politics” of right-wing groups, following reports of caste violence during religious events. Speaking to reporters after a commemoration event in Perambalur, he was asked about a clash near Hosur in which several Scheduled Caste members were injured when another community opposed their Vinayagar idol procession during Visarjanam. Thirumavalavan said the BJP, RSS, and other right-wing outfits insist that dalits are Hindus but remain silent when they are attacked. “The Scheduled Caste community must wake up to the reality of this opportunistic politics,” he said, demanding strict action against those responsible for the violence. He also reacted to the hunger strike by Thiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil against the Centre’s withholding of Samagra Shiksha funds for Tamil Nadu, calling the protest a noble cause but urging the MP to end his fast for health reasons. “His health is of utmost importance, and I urge him to conclude the strike at the earliest,” he said. Terming the Centre’s move to withhold funds an “authoritarian approach,” Thirumavalavan urged immediate release of the allocation. He also criticised the Union government for refusing to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and for tabling a bill to disqualify ministers serving a 30-day term in judicial custody. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
First made the family members unconscious, then raped the Dalit girl on the pretext of exorcism, brutality of a tantrik in Deoband
A case of rape of a Dalit girl on the pretext of exorcism by a tantrik has come to light in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It is alleged that a youth from another community raped the Dalit girl on the pretext of exorcism. On the complaint of the victim’s father, the police have registered a case against the accused youth and started investigating the matter. A case of rape of a Dalit girl has come to light in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It is alleged that a youth from another community raped the Dalit girl on the pretext of exorcism. The victim’s father has alleged that during the exorcism, the accused made the entire family members unconscious and then raped his 20-year-old daughter. The police have registered a case against the accused and have started investigating the matter. Apart from this, the girl is also being medically examined. The incident is from a village in Deoband police station area of Saharanpur. Here a Dalit villager has filed a complaint with the police accusing a youth named Alfaz of another community of raping his daughter. According to the complaint filed by the Dalit villager, his wife was ill for a long time. Due to this, he felt that she was possessed by ghosts. The tantrik raped her on the pretext of exorcism The victim’s father told that his wife was being treated by a man named Alfaz, who lives in Deoband, for several months. Alfaz was a tantrik and he assured the family members that he would cure his wife completely. Along with this, Alfaz used to visit their house often. On Sunday, Alfaz had come to the victim’s house to treat her. Alfaz locked all the people in the house in another room to treat his wife and he raped his twenty-year-old daughter. It is alleged that Alfaz made the family members unconscious and raped the girl. Police engaged in investigation In the complaint given by the girl’s family, it was written that Alfaz first made everyone unconscious due to tantric rituals. After this, he raped the girl. Police has registered a case against the accused Alfaz after the complaint of the girl’s father. The girl’s medical examination is also being done by the police. Police officials say that the matter is being investigated. Necessary action is being taken by the police in this incident. Vikas Kapil Courtesy: Hindi News
Revisiting Periyar: Dialogues on caste, socialism and Dravidian identity
S. V. Rajadurai and Vidya Bhushan Rawat’s joint effort in bringing out a book on the most original iconoclast of South Asia, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, titled Periyar: Caste, Nation and Socialism, published by People’s Literature Publication, Mumbai, is now available on Amazon and Flipkart. This volume presents an innovative method of documenting the pioneering contributions of a leader like Periyar, and it reflects the scholarship of Rajadurai, who has played a pivotal role in popularizing Periyar in English. What makes the book distinct is its dialogic structure, inspired by Paulo Freire’s conversational method, in which Rajadurai responds to Rawat’s carefully crafted questions across 14 chapters, covering a wide range of themes from Periyar’s conception of Dravidanadu to his engagements with Ambedkar, Buddhism, caste annihilation, Pakistan, the Constituent Assembly debates, and several lesser-known episodes of his North Indian tours and Bombay conferences organized largely by RPI and Ambedkarite groups. The book records Periyar’s nuanced positions, including his candid defense against accusations from certain Dalit activists, his contentious relations with leaders like Rajagopalachari and Kamaraj, and his interactions with communists and Dalit dissenters. A significant addition lies in three appended chapters that reveal aspects of Rajadurai’s own life and mission, unavailable elsewhere. Particularly notable is the exploration of Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste, a text Periyar translated into Tamil and serialized in Kudi Arasu. Rajadurai details Periyar’s solidarity with Ambedkar’s anti-Brahminical struggles, his acknowledgment of the Round Table Conferences, and his critiques of Gandhi. Beyond his reputation as an atheist and iconoclast, the book underscores Periyar’s deep engagement with Buddhism—his participation in conferences in Ceylon, his organization of meetings in Erode, and his collaborations with Ambedkar and RPI workers. Such narratives enrich our understanding of Periyar as a comprehensive humanist and reformer, later recognized by UNESCO. The chapters also revisit Periyar’s fraught relations with the Justice Party, the Congress, and the subsequent formation of the Self-Respect Movement, with Rajadurai illustrating how leaders like Anna, Karunanidhi, and Veeramani shaped and sustained the Dravidian movement under his influence. Rawat’s probing questions bring depth to these narratives, particularly in relation to controversies such as Kilvenmani and Meenakshipuram, Dalit massacres during and after Periyar’s time, and the persistence of caste violence in Tamil Nadu today. Interestingly, the chapter on land reforms is a mere page and a half, exposing the movement’s inadequacies in addressing Dalit economic deprivation. Rajadurai highlights that Tamil Nadu still has the highest proportion of landless Dalits in the South—around 73 percent—making caste clashes largely agrarian conflicts between landowners and landless Dalits. The persistence of feudal mindsets even within sections of the Dravidian leadership underscores this unresolved tension. Rajadurai’s reflections also reveal his disillusionment with the left parties, whose entrenchment in Brahminical frameworks undermined radical reform agendas. The Naxalite strategy of violent elimination of class enemies, which briefly influenced Rajadurai, also failed to transform the socio-economic realities of Tamil Nadu. Nevertheless, the Periyar project’s enduring impact lay in its challenge to the Arya-Brahmin conspiracy and its mobilization of Dravidian identity against structural oppression. While Dalit critics have faulted Periyar for not addressing their specific grievances more robustly, Rajadurai argues that Periyar consistently stood with the oppressed, though the sheer scale and internal contradictions of the movement inevitably gave rise to disputes. The socialist dimension of Periyar’s thought is another strength of this book. His writings in Kudi Arasu (Republic), Puratchi (Revolution), and Viduthalai (Freedom) reflect his belief in socialism, which he defined as samadharma, a direct refutation of Manudharma. For Periyar, socialism meant equality through proportional representation and the self-respect of all individuals. He translated the Communist Manifesto into Tamil and emphasized that caste inequality was rooted in agrarian structures. His clashes with Gandhi, his leadership in the Vaikom Satyagraha, his repeated imprisonments for temple-entry struggles, and his advocacy of women’s liberation and family planning in the 1930s demonstrate his radicalism in both social and economic spheres. Periyar’s fight for caste-based reservations, especially his leadership in pressuring Nehru’s government to amend the Constitution in 1951 to restore backward class rights after the Supreme Court struck them down, is also recounted in detail. Ambedkar, as Law Minister, supported this amendment. Rajadurai also recalls events like the Meenakshipuram conversions, countered by Hindutva forces with political money power, and shows how Periyar’s tactical support for conversions provided Dalits temporary relief from caste oppression. Ultimately, Periyar’s samadharma envisioned a Dravidian country rooted in equality and dignity for all. The book’s wider contribution is to spark fresh debate on the relevance of Periyar in contemporary India. It interrogates the limitations of the Dravidian movement, both in addressing class inequities and in broadening its scope beyond Tamil Nadu. The narrowing of the Dravidian identity, despite its historical linkages to the Indus and Harappan civilizations, has weakened its ideological reach. Rajadurai and Rawat argue that intellectual collectives must re-examine non-Brahmin movements, critically evaluate source material often mediated by Brahmin translators, and expand the study of caste and class annihilation in light of Periyar and Ambedkar’s visions. Periyar: Caste, Nation and Socialism thus provides a compelling foundation to continue the agenda of liberating India’s oppressed classes from Brahminical and capitalist exploitation. It offers an honest appraisal of Periyar’s achievements and limitations while urging new approaches to strengthen the unfinished tasks of social and economic justice. By Prof. K. S. Chalam* Courtesy : Counterview Note: This news is originally published on https:/counterview.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.