CB given two weeks to probe dalit worker’s harrassment
T’puram: Pathanamthitta crime branch DSP has been given two weeks to investigate allegations of police harassment against a dalit domestic worker. The case involves claims that the worker endured 20 hours of mental harassment by police over accusations of gold chain theft. During a hearing led by SHRC chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas, the DSP appeared in person. The case will be reviewed again on Aug 4 at the commission office. Justice Thomas earlier ordered that an officer from outside Thiruvananthapuram district was appointed to investigate. The commission instructed that the district police chief should consult with the South Zone IG to appoint an investigating officer. SHRC has specifically requested that the victim’s statement be recorded in the presence of a female lawyer. It was suggested that the secretary of the district legal services society appoint the female lawyer. TNN 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.
Dalit girl on way to school abducted, raped by cop
Agra: A 15-year-old Dalit girl on way to school was allegedly abducted by a UP police constable and raped even as his aide pointed a gun at the Class 11 student in Farrukhabad on Wednesday. The accused was caught by the survivor’s family some hours later and was handed over to police. In his police complaint, the girl’s father said the 35-year-old constable arrived in a car and dragged his daughter into the vehicle, took her to an undisclosed place and raped her. When she did not return home by afternoon, the family began searching for her. After nearly five hours, the accused pushed the survivor out of the same car near her house. When neighbours saw the accused, they raised an alarm. Family members chased the car on a motorcycle for about 200 m and managed to stop it by blocking the road. “The driver fled, but we caught the accused and handed him over to the police in the evening”, said the girl’s father. An FIR under relevant sections of rape, kidnapping and the Pocso Act and SC/ST Act was registered. Additional SP Sanjay Kumar said, “The accused constable was arrested, and he was suspended on Thursday. The girl was sent for a medical examination. A DSP-level officer is leading the investigation.” The statement of the girl is yet to be recorded, said police. 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.
Dalit sanitation workers allege caste abuse by Melpathi panchayat president in TN
The four workers – Muniyammal, K Athilakshmi, S Nagaraj, and P Govindaraj – collect household waste in the village. VILLUPURAM: The Tamil Nadu government has directed the Villupuram SP to inquire into allegations of caste-based discrimination against four Dalit sanitation workers in Melpathi village. The directive from the deputy secretary (Home Department) follows a petition submitted to the chief minister’s special cell. G Muniyammal (47), one of the workers, alleged that she and three others were forced to clean human faeces with bare hands and subjected to repeated caste-based abuse by Melpathi panchayat president R Manivel and a few Caste Hindu members. They also accused local police officers of coercing the workers into withdrawing the complaint. The four workers – Muniyammal, K Athilakshmi, S Nagaraj, and P Govindaraj – collect household waste in the village. Following the attack on a Dalit family by the caste Hindus allegedly for entering the Shri Dharmaraja Draupathi Amman Temple on April 7, 2023, the workers said they are being humiliated publicly and unfairly blamed for the temple dispute. The workers stated that the discrimination, verbal abuse, and physical intimidation from the panchayat president has become unbearable over the past two years. “We were mocked, threatened, and assigned demeaning tasks. We were told not to enter certain streets and they made us feel like we didn’t belong here. We were even forced to clean human faeces with bare hands,” Muniyammal told TNIE. “They even forced us to sign blank papers that were later fabricated to claim that we have withdrawn the complaint.” Despite repeated appeals to panchayat officials, including vice president Selvam, and sanitation supervisor Kavitha, no action has been taken, the workers said in the complaint. On May 25, they lodged a complaint against Manivel at the Valavanur police station. The next day, a fact-finding team of revenue officials visited the village. But official sources confirmed that the sanitation workers were subsequently reassigned to Dalit localities, barring them from working in Caste Hindu areas. “They told us we wouldn’t face trouble if we stopped working there,” said Athilakshmi. “Four officers in plain clothes came to my house shortly after we filed the complaint (in May) and asked me to sign some papers. I refused initially, but they insisted it was just a formality to change my work location. So, I signed. Only later did I realise that my complaint had been withdrawn,” said Muniyammal. Furthermore, the workers alleged that they were coerced into signing a statement indicating they no longer wished to pursue a case against Manivel, who allegedly tried to assault Adhilakshmi while on duty. In an appeal to the chief minister, the collector and the SP, the workers have demanded action against Manivel under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and departmental action against police personnel who allegedly sided with the panchayat president. Acting on it, the deputy secretary (Home Department) issued a directive to the Villupuram SP to take appropriate action. However, Villupuram SP P Saravanan told TNIE that the workers had withdrawn the complaint with the knowledge of the Koliyanur Block Development Officer. “Since the complaint was withdrawn, no further action was initiated,” he said. Courtesy : Krithika Srinivasan, TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Serious allegations of corruption on Jal Jeevan Mission in MP, claim of 1 thousand crore bribe against tribal PHE minister!
The serious allegations leveled by the former MLA have brought the Jal Jeevan Mission under question. Bhopal. Allegations of a big scam in the name of Jal Jeevan Mission have surfaced in Madhya Pradesh. Former MLA Kishore Samarite has written a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) claiming that there has been a huge irregularity of about Rs 30 thousand crore in this scheme. The special thing is that the order to investigate this scam was issued by Sanjay Andhavan, Engineer-in-Chief (ENC) of Public Health Engineering Department (PHE), in which direct allegations were made against the departmental minister Sampatiya Uikey himself. Controversy arose from the complaint sent to the PMO The whole matter started on April 12, when former MLA Kishore Samarite sent a complaint to the PMO about the corruption taking place in the Jal Jeevan Mission. According to the complaint, huge bribes were being taken in the tender process and the minister himself was involved in it. After this, on 24 April, this complaint was sent to the state government, and under the departmental process, on 21 June, this file reached Engineer-in-Chief Sanjay Andhavan. Minister’s name in the investigation order, instructions for property investigation The names of Minister Sampatiya Uike, Mandla’s Executive Engineer Manoj Bhaskar and former ENC BK Sonagariya were included in the investigation order issued on 21 June. It was clearly written in the order that, investigate the funding of Jal Jeevan Mission, the role of the minister, the property of the executive engineer and submit the report in seven days. The responsibility of investigation was handed over to the Project Director and Area Chief Engineer of Jal Nigam. However, this order went viral on social media on Monday, causing a stir. Big allegation of former MLA Former MLA Samrite has written in the letter that, a commission of Rs 1 thousand crore was taken by Minister Sampatiya Uike. This amount was collected through Mandla’s Executive Engineer Manoj Bhaskar and former ENC BK Sonagaria collected Rs 2000 crore through his accountant Mahendra Khare. Bribes of Rs 1000 crore each were also taken in PIU and Jal Nigam. He has demanded a CBI inquiry from the central government and alleged that an engineer in Betul withdrew Rs 150 crore without doing any work. Similar fake payments were made in Chhindwara and Balaghat. CE Mechanical passed tenders worth Rs 2200 crore and grabbed the amount without doing any work. After the investigation order went viral on social media, ENC Sanjay Andhavan clarified that the complaint was investigated, but no concrete documents were found in it. Referring to the report of the Chief Engineer of Balaghat, he said, “The complaint is factless and fabricated. There was no original document in the complaint, only departmental letters obtained through RTI were made the basis.” He also said that the implementation and payment of Jal Jeevan Mission is done at the local level, so the ENC and the minister are not directly responsible. Now the questions Will there be a high-level inquiry against the minister and officials? Was the departmental order withdrawn or suppressed? What stand will the government take on the authenticity of the viral order on social media? The serious allegations leveled by the former MLA have brought the Jal Jeevan Mission under question. If the investigation is fair and transparent, it can reveal layers of corruption in the administrative structure of Madhya Pradesh. What is Jal Jeevan Mission? Jal Jeevan Mission is an ambitious scheme of the Central Government, which aims to provide drinking water through pipes to every household in the country. Crores of rupees are allocated to the states under this scheme. Courtesy : Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News
MP: Accused sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a 10-year-old girl, court orders to pay Rs 3 lakh compensation to victim
The court has ordered the state government to pay Rs 3 lakh as compensation to the girl, keeping in mind her education and rehabilitation, so that she can move forward on her future path. Bhopal. The court of Special Judge Kumudini Patel of the capital Bhopal on Monday convicted the accused Mohammad Farhan alias Chuju in the case of raping a minor and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4,000. Special Public Prosecutors Divya Shukla and Jyoti Kujur pleaded on behalf of the government in this case. What is the whole matter? On June 8, 2019, a 10-year-old girl lodged an FIR in Gandhi Nagar police station with the help of Child Help Care Taker. The girl told that she was living at her female relative’s house. Since they did not have children, the family had sent her to them for upbringing. The girl considered that woman and her husband as her parents. When the woman went to work, her husband Mohammad Farhan used to do obscene acts with the girl, show her dirty videos and rape her. He used to beat her up when she refused. Tolerating all this, the girl finally told her ordeal to an old lady, after which the matter reached the police. The girl said in the court – “I want to become a doctor” During the hearing of the case, the victim told the court that she is currently living in SOS Balgram and is studying in 10th standard. Her real mother has passed away and she dreams of becoming a doctor in future. The girl’s words made the court emotional. The victim will get compensation of three lakh rupees The court has ordered the state government to give her a compensation amount of Rs 3 lakh keeping in mind the education and rehabilitation of the girl so that she can move forward on the path of her future. Provision of punishment Under Section 376AB of the POCSO Act, if the age of the victim is less than 12 years, then the accused is given a minimum sentence of 20 years, life imprisonment or death penalty. NCRB figures The 2022 report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also shows the gravity of the situation. According to the report, a total of 20,415 crimes against children were registered in Madhya Pradesh in the year 2022, which is the second highest figure after Maharashtra in the country. Of these, 6,654 cases have been registered only under the POCSO Act. The highest number of cases are related to kidnapping and luring, which stood at 10,125. 109 cases of murder of children and 90 cases of abetment to suicide are also part of this report. The NCRB report also revealed that the rate of crime against children in the state is 71 per one lakh children, which is much higher than the national average. After Delhi, Madhya Pradesh is in second place in this case. The most worrying thing is that in 96.8% of sexual crimes, the accused are acquaintances of the victim. This makes it clear that the most unsafe place for the victims is their own social circle. Courtesy: Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News
Casteism in UP: Dalit youth beaten up for refusing to do electrical work, accused said, “Ch#%r, ni%$$! You won’t do our work? You have so much…”
Even after 4 days, the police have not arrested the accused. Gautam Buddha Nagar – There are continuous complaints about casteist incidents in Uttar Pradesh, in this episode, a Dalit youth was beaten up with casteist abuses in village Roshanpur of Dankaur police station area for refusing to do his work. Victim Rajesh Jatav, an electrical mechanic by profession, has alleged that Sagar Nagar, Anil Bidhuri (alias Balua) and Subodh Nagar of village Junedpur attacked him with kicks, punches and bricks for refusing to do electrical work. When Jatav complained about this to the police, his report was not taken and on the contrary, the police tried to hush up the matter, SC/ST Act has not been implemented in the case and allegations of police negligence are being made. According to Rajesh, on 27 June, Sagar and Anil came to his house and asked him to do some electrical work. When he refused due to lack of time, both of them attacked him using casteist abuses. They used words like “Chamar, Dhed, Neech! You won’t do our work? You have such a status?” and beat Rajesh till he fainted. Sagar’s uncle Subodh Nagar is also said to be involved in the attack. The victim’s wife Suman gave a complaint, but IO Upendra Kumar filed an FIR without recording the statement. Even after 4 days, the police did not arrest the accused. Suman told the media that Rajesh is in a critical condition in the hospital, but the police did not take any action for medical examination or help. The victim’s family alleges that the police is trying to suppress the case and settle the matter in collusion with the accused. Talking to The Mooknayak, Dalit rights activist Nidhi Singh said, “UP is turning into a torture chamber for Dalits. Just because a Dalit refused to work for free, an attempt was made to kill him. The role of the police is suspicious.” Nidhi further said, “SC/ST Act should be implemented immediately. Police inaction promotes anti-Dalit mentality.” Social activists have demanded immediate registration of cases against the accused under SC/ST Act, compensation and government job to the victim and action against negligent police officials. Courtesy: Geetha Sunil Pillai, Hindi News
Tamil Nadu: Body of Dalit labourer found hanging from tree, hands tied — still suicide? Questions raised on police theory!
Uproar over Dalit labourer’s suspicious death being called a suicide, questions raised on hanging with hands tied, Dalit organisations demand fair probe Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu): The Tamil Nadu police have been accused of covering up the suspicious death of a Dalit youth in Tiruppur district by calling it a suicide. The police have called the death of 42-year-old K. Murugan, a daily wage labourer, a suicide, but Dalit activists and political parties have raised questions — especially about how a person with his hands tied could commit suicide by hanging from a tree? Activists also allege that the police have made the case more suspicious by cremating the body quickly. According to a report by The News Minute, Murugan, who was a resident of Senakkalpalayam village, was found hanging from a neem tree on the morning of June 26 (Thursday). The land is reportedly owned by Palaniswami Gounder, for whom Murugan worked as a daily wage labourer. The police have registered a case of suicide under Section 194 of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS) and based the statement of Murugan’s wife Manimegalai, who reportedly denied any foul play. According to the FIR, Manimegalai told the police that Murugan was ill for a long time and was mentally disturbed due to his alcohol addiction. He was undergoing treatment for tuberculosis at the Christian Fellowship Hospital in Oddanchatram, but did not quit drinking despite doctors’ advice, which worsened his condition. The FIR states that on the night of June 25, Murugan suffered severe stomach pain and was rushed to the Dharapuram Government Hospital twice. The couple stayed at a relative’s house for the night, and the next morning Murugan said he was fine now and was going to work. A few hours later, Manimegalai received information that her husband was found hanging from a tree near the military colony. The Alangiyam police recovered the body, sent it for post-mortem and handed it over to the family for cremation the next day. However, Dalit organisations and activists have questioned the police claim. Mugilarasan, state principal secretary of Tamil Puligal Katchi, submitted a memorandum to the DSP, accusing Manimegalai of being pressured to change her statement. He claimed that both Murugan and his wife worked for the Gounder family and some locals and relatives were spreading false rumours about Murugan’s debt and illness to suppress the truth under caste pressure. The memorandum said, “There is clearly a mystery in this death. A man with his hands tied cannot climb a 20-feet high tree and commit suicide by tying a rope. If he had done so, the branch would have broken. We believe he was murdered and made to look like a suicide.” Siruthai Valluvan, zonal secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), also questioned the police’s hurried cremation and concealment of evidence. “Even children will not believe that Murugan hanged himself with his hands tied. How can the police make such a claim? The Tamil Nadu government should compensate the victim’s family and ensure the safety of Dalits in the region,” Valluvan said. When contacted, the Alangiyam police denied any foul play. “When we recovered the body, the hands were not tied but the rope was just wrapped around the hands. The post-mortem report did not reveal any internal injuries or marks of strangulation,” a police officer said over the phone. The police have confirmed that the land where Murugan’s body was found belongs to Palaniswami Gounder–further fuelling suspicion. Courtesy : Rajan Chaudhary, Hindi News
Impact of the news: Case of discrimination against Dalit woman and girl in Pratibha Sthali Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, State Scheduled Caste Commission sought report
The Commission took cognizance after the news of ‘The Mooknayak’, sought report in 15 days. Bhopal. The case of caste discrimination against a single mother and her daughter of Scheduled Caste category in Pratibha Sthali Gyanodya Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh has forced the Madhya Pradesh State Scheduled Caste Commission to take strict action. Taking cognizance of this serious matter, the Commission has sought an investigation report from the Assistant Commissioner, Tribal Affairs Department, Jabalpur within 15 days. It has also been directed that if the Right to Education Act 2009 or Article 21 (A) of the Constitution has been violated by the school, then necessary legal action should be taken against the culprits. This matter came to light when last year ‘The Mooknayak’ published a detailed report on this subject. The report said that Sunita Arya, a Scheduled Caste community resident of Jabalpur, had applied to Pratibha Sthali Vidyalaya to get her daughter admitted in Class 4. But the school administration not only refused to admit her, but also treated her in an insulting manner using casteist words. She was discriminated against only because she is a Dalit and her daughter was born in a live-in relationship and is biologically Jain (general). Sunita Arya alleges that the school administration looked at her negatively on the basis of her caste identity and used words like ‘Ahirwar’, ‘Chamar’ during the conversation. Apart from this, the school administration also raised the question about the family status of the girl, as Sunita Arya is a single mother. Sunita had also attached a DNA test report with her application, which proves that the girl is the biological child of her and her partner Manish Jain and there should be no doubt about any kind of identity. Despite this, the school did not admit the girl. Talking to The Muknayak representative, Sunita Arya says that she had applied for admission of her daughter in class 4 in Pratibha Sthali Vidyalaya, Jabalpur. But the school administration rejected her application saying that the family status of the girl is not clear. Sunita says that she even got a DNA report, which proves that the girl is the child of her and Manish Jain, who belongs to the Jain community. Still she was insulted on the basis of caste. The school people called her by derogatory words like ‘Ahirwar’ and ‘Chamar’. Sunita alleges that the school administration treated her in a discriminatory manner and mentally harassed her. She also told that casteist language was also used in the conversation on WhatsApp by the school management, copies of which she has submitted to the Scheduled Caste Commission. Sunita says that being a mother, she wanted her daughter to study in a good school, but she was treated unfairly due to caste and daughter being born during living. Allegation of mental harassment, evidence submitted to the commission Sunita has claimed in the application submitted to the commission that she was mentally harassed and treated in a discriminatory manner by the school management. She has also submitted screenshots of WhatsApp conversations with the school and other documents to the commission, which mention caste-based behavior and insensitive comments made by the school. Apart from this, Sunita Arya has also rejected the preliminary investigation report of this case and in the counter-claim sent to the commission, she has said that facts have been hidden in the investigation and conclusions have been drawn in a fabricated manner. Commission’s strictness: Looking at the seriousness of the matter, the commission has clarified in this case that if the reply is not received within the stipulated time limit (15 days), then it will take suo motu cognizance and take action using the powers conferred on it like a civil court. Secretary of the State Scheduled Caste Commission, Seema Soni, said that the commission is looking into the matter as a violation of the fundamental rights of the Constitution and if the faults are proved, action can be taken against the school management under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. What is the legal provision? Right to Education Act, 2009 Gives the right to free and compulsory education to all children between 6 and 14 years. Article 21 (A) of the Indian Constitution Provides the fundamental right to primary education to every child. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 Provides strict punishment for discriminating or insulting any Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe person on the basis of caste. Courtesy: Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News
Impact of the news: Case of discrimination against Dalit woman and girl in Pratibha Sthali Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, State Scheduled Caste Commission sought report
Is working for Dalits, farmers ‘anti-national’ ?: Medha Patkar slams BJP MPs over meeting walkout
A day after BJP MPs walked out of a parliamentary panel meeting she was invited to, activist Medha Patkar on Wednesday hit back, asking if standing up for Dalits, Adivasis, farmers and labourers now counts as “anti-national”. A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj to discuss the implementation of the land acquisition act ended abruptly on Tuesday as BJP MPs protested against the panel’s decision to hear Patkar, who had led protests against raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat under the banner of ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’. The panel, headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, had called Patkar to hear her views on the implementation and effectiveness of the land acquisition law enacted by Parliament when the Congress-led UPA government was in power in 2013. Former Union minister and BJP MP Parshottam Rupala was joined by other lawmakers from his party as they walked out of the meeting, with some dubbing Patkar as “anti-national”. A BJP MP even said he had no idea that leaders from Pakistan could also be called to such a meeting. “What is the charge of being anti-national? We are working with Dalits, Adivasis, farmers, labourers… Is that something anti-national? To protect their rights under the law and the Constitution, and the human rights, which are above the constitutional rights,” Patkar told PTI. “And even if whatever we are saying is wrong, they can oppose it. But that doesn’t mean that they can call us anti-national or ‘urban naxals’. This democratic process includes the parliamentary standing committee proceedings,” she added. Patkar said she has participated in parliamentary panel discussions earlier and has been part of consultations carried out by the government for framing the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. “Even when Sumitra Mahajan was in the Chair, we were given a good hearing,” she said, referring to the former Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP leader. Patkar said they were invited to appear before the panel, made their submissions, and all due process was followed. She said she was informed that a communication was sent by the secretary general of the Lok Sabha to the chairperson — Congress MP Ulaka — to cancel the meeting due to a lack of quorum. The activist said she was told by officials that 17 MPs had come for the meeting, and questioned how there was a lack of quorum. “The written letter that the secretary general gave to the chairman to cancel the meeting gave only one reason that there is no quorum. The fact that I was invited to appear was not mentioned as the reason,” she said. Former prime minister H D Devegowda’s Janata Dal (Secular), which is a part of the BJP-led NDA, also participated in the meeting but not in the walkout, Patkar said. “Mr. Devegowda, he did not walk out. He was just sitting quietly near the chairman,” she said. Talking about the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Patkar said they only demanded what was awarded by the Narmada Tribunal. The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) was established in 1969 to resolve the water-sharing disputes among Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan concerning the Narmada River. “They are mentioning the position taken by the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Our position has been that the award by the Narmada tribunal should be implemented,” she said. “Even the World Bank stopped funding this project (Sardar Sarovar Dam), saying that it was an ill-planned project. The statistics on which the decision is based the data is flawed. The World Bank took a position that they had not followed the law,” she said. The World Bank had agreed to fund the project to increase the height of the dam in 1985. However, following protests by the NBA led by Patkar, they formed the Morse Commission to look into factors like environmental cost and human displacement. As the World Bank decided to pull out of the project, the government cancelled the loan sanctioned by the World Bank on 31 March 1993. Patkar stressed that the rehabilitation of the families that were to be dislocated was important. “There were thousands of families living in this area. How could they be denied fair and full rehabilitation? That was the question. Now, about 50,000 families have received rehabilitation. Whatever is remaining, a few thousand in Madhya Pradesh, hundreds in Maharashtra, hundreds in Gujarat, the dialogue is still going on,” she said. “We want the government to take immediate action and decision, but they are not doing it on war footing,” she added Courtesy : TET Note: This news is originally published on https:/theeconomictimes.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.