2 held after Dalit student shot dead in Saharanpur
Meerut: Two people were arrested on Sunday after a 19-year-old Dalit student was shot dead outside a college in Saharanpur the previous day, police said. The incident took place around 1 pm on the Gagalheri-Deoband highway in the Nagal police station area. Ashutosh Singh, a first-year B Pharma student, had just appeared for an examination when 5–6 masked men attacked him and his friend Aryan Malik with sticks. As other students tried to intervene, one of the assailants opened fire, shooting Ashutosh in the face. He collapsed and was declared dead at the hospital, while Aryan is undergoing treatment. The incident triggered protests by Bhim Army and other minority groups, demanding immediate action. SSP Saharanpur Rohit Singh Sajwan said, “It appears the attack was driven by personal enmity. Ashutosh was killed while trying to save his friend. We are investigating all angles.” He added that after a brief exchange of gunfire, two suspects — Udit Rod and Ayush Kumar, both residents of Saharanpur — were arrested. The car and weapon used in the crime were recovered, and efforts are on to trace the others involved. Police said an FIR under BNS sections 191(2), 191(3) (rioting), 103 (murder), 109 (attempt to murder), 3(2)(5) of the SC/ST Act, and other relevant sections has been registered against 6–7 men. “Efforts are being made to identify and arrest the others involved in the attack,” the SSP said. 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.
Bengaluru: Dalit, Lingayat leaders oppose Lingayats registering as Beda Jangamas
The Beda/Buduga Jangamas (SC), who constituted a population of 5,141 in the 1961 census, saw a massive rise to 4,10,804 as per data from the social and educational survey report (caste census) With the statewide survey of Scheduled Castes (SCs) having entered its last week, both Dalit and Lingayat leaders have strongly asserted that Lingayat Jangamas shouldn’t be included with SC Jangamas. The Beda/Buduga Jangamas (SC), who constituted a population of 5,141 in the 1961 census, saw a massive rise to 4,10,804 as per data from the social and educational survey report (caste census). Alarmed at the spike in numbers, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, an SC (right) leader, strictly urged the state government at the party rally in Hosapete recently to ensure that Lingayat Jangamas were not included in the SC list, adding that those providing fake certificates must be arrested. In a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa – a senior SC (Left) leader in the Congress – had opposed including Lingayat Jangamas with Beda Jangamas. Attributing the massive increase to several Lingayat Jangamas registering as SCs, Lingayat leaders have urged their fellow community members to not register under the SC category. “Most of them are Veerashaivas and not Beda Jangamas. Those without Beda/Buduga Jangama certificates shouldn’t be considered as SCs in the survey,” said H M Renuka Prasanna, general secretary of All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha. Social welfare department commissioner Rakesh Kumar told DH that they had received complaints, adding that the commission on internal reservation headed by retired High Court judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das would take a suitable decision before submitting its final report. Justice Das told DH that merely being included in the survey would not mean that all individuals would get caste certificates. “They must apply through proper channels, produce relevant documents and follow proper procedure to get certificates”. Issuing caste certificates was not in the domain of the commission. If people complain of fake caste certificates, those aware of it should bring it to the notice of caste verification committees at the district level, he said. Courtesy : Deccan Herald Note: This news is originally published on https://deccanherald.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Kadiam Srihari Says Only Congress Uplifted Dalits Politically And Socially
Kadiyam Srihari credits Congress for Dalit empowerment; alleges corruption in Dalit Bandhu scheme under BRS. Warangal: Former Telangana deputy chief minister and Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari declared that it is only the Congress that uplifted Dalits politically, economically and socially. Participating in the Madigala Atmeeya Sammelan at Lingala Ghanpur mandal in Jangaon district on Sunday, Srihari pointed out that since India got independence, Dalits have remained with the Congress party. “Because of the Constitution, Dalits have been able to stand on their own in the society. It is scary to imagine what would have happened without Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Constitution,” the former deputy CM said. He pointed out that landlords used to dominate the politics in Warangal. “But without bowing my head or making even the slightest mistake, I have continued in politics for 30 years,” he pointed out. Srihari said during the previous BRS government, then MLA Thatikonda Rajaiah sold posts, jobs and even welfare schemes. “He even cheated Dalit people by taking money from them before they could benefit from the Dalit Bandhu Scheme,” the Station Ghanpur MLA pointed out. The former deputy CM maintained that those who work hard for the party and support people will be given first priority in Congress Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle Note: This news is originally published on https://deccanchronicle.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Tensions erupt at Delhi University after pro-Palestine march
Tensions erupt at Delhi University after pro-Palestine marchTensions erupt at Delhi University after pro-Palestine march NEW DELHI: Tensions erupted on Delhi University’s North Campus on Friday evening after a pro-Palestine march by students’ groups, including Fraternity Movement, Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch and AISA, clashed with members of ABVP near Arts Faculty. Protesters, stopped at the gate by police, forced their way in and burnt effigies of US president Donald Trump, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and PM Narendra Modi. ABVP members responded with counter-sloganeering, leading to a scuffle. Police said they had not received any complaint. 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.
Gujarat Dalit Youth’s Murder Recalls 1936 Horror: When a Dalit Patwari’s Chair Ignited a Mob’s Fury in Borsad
On March 6, 1938, at a meeting of the Bhangi community in Kasarwadi (behind Woollen Mills), Dadar, Bombay, chaired by Indulal Yadnik, Parmar Kalidas Shivram shared his harrowing experience. Gujarat – The brutal murder of 20-year-old Dalit youth Nilesh Rathore in Jarikhiya village, Lathi taluka, Amreli district, on May 22, 2025, has brought back memories of a horrifying incident from 1936 in Borsad, Kheda district, Gujarat. Documented by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Writings and Speeches, Chapter 5: Unfit for Association, the 1936 incident reveals the deep-rooted caste discrimination faced by Dalits, a reality that tragically persists today, as seen in Nilesh’s death. On March 6, 1938, at a meeting of the Bhangi community in Kasarwadi (behind Woollen Mills), Dadar, Bombay, chaired by Indulal Yadnik, Parmar Kalidas Shivram shared his harrowing experience. Kalidas, who had passed the Vernacular Final Examination in 1933 and studied English up to the 4th standard, initially applied for a teaching position with the Bombay Municipality but was rejected due to a lack of vacancies. He then applied for the role of a Talati (village patwari) through the Backward Classes Officer in Ahmedabad and succeeded. On February 19, 1936, he was appointed as a Talati in the Mamlatdar’s office in Borsad taluka, Kheda district. Though his family hailed from Gujarat, this was Kalidas’s first visit to the region. Unaware that untouchability extended even to government offices, he mentioned his Harijan (Dalit) identity in his application, expecting his colleagues to be aware of his background. However, upon arriving at the Mamlatdar’s office, the clerk scornfully asked, “Who are you?” When Kalidas replied, “Sir, I am a Harijan,” the clerk retorted, “Go away, stand at a distance. How dare you stand so near me? If this weren’t an office, I would have given you six kicks—what audacity to come here for service!” The clerk then ordered Kalidas to drop his appointment letter and certificates on the ground before picking them up himself, refusing to take them directly. Struggles with Basic Needs Kalidas faced immense challenges in Borsad. At the Mamlatdar’s office, drinking water was kept in cans in the verandah, managed by a waterman who served other clerks. However, Kalidas was barred from touching the cans, as his touch was deemed polluting. He was given a small, rusty pot for his use, which no one else would touch or clean. The waterman, reluctant to serve him, often slipped away when Kalidas approached, leaving him without water for days at a time. Finding a place to live was equally difficult. No caste Hindu in Borsad would rent him a house, and even the local Untouchables refused to offer lodging, fearing backlash from Hindus who disapproved of Kalidas’s attempt to work as a clerk—a position they believed was above his station. Food was another struggle; with no one willing to provide meals, Kalidas bought bhajias morning and evening, eating them in isolation outside the village. At night, he slept on the pavement of the Mamlatdar’s office verandah. After four unbearable days, he moved to his ancestral village, Jentral, six miles from Borsad, requiring him to walk eleven miles daily for a month and a half. The Mamlatdar later sent Kalidas to train under another Talati responsible for Jentral, Khapur, and Saijpur villages, with Jentral as the headquarters. For two months in Jentral, Kalidas learned nothing and was barred from entering the village office. The headman of Jentral was particularly hostile, once threatening him: “You fellow, your father, your brother are sweepers who sweep the village office, and you want to sit in the office as our equal? Take care, better give up this job.” The situation reached a breaking point when Kalidas was sent to Saijpur to prepare the village’s population table. Arriving at the village office, he found the headman and Talati working inside. Standing at the door, Kalidas greeted them with a “good morning,” but they ignored him. After standing outside for about 15 minutes, exhausted and humiliated, Kalidas sat on a chair nearby. Seeing this, the headman and Talati quietly left without a word. A Chair Sparks Mob Fury Within moments, a large crowd gathered around Kalidas, led by the village library’s librarian—an educated man whose involvement shocked Kalidas. It later emerged that the chair belonged to the librarian. Enraged, the librarian shouted at the Ravania (village servant), “Who allowed this dirty dog of a Bhangi to sit on the chair?” The Ravania forcibly removed Kalidas from the chair and took it away. Kalidas sat on the ground as the crowd stormed into the office, surrounding him. The mob, furious, hurled abuses and threatened to cut him to pieces with a dharya (a sharp, sword-like weapon). Kalidas pleaded for mercy, but the crowd remained unmoved. Desperate to save himself, Kalidas had a sudden idea: he asked the Ravania for a piece of paper and, using his fountain pen, wrote a note to the Mamlatdar in bold letters: “To The Mamlatdar, Taluk Borsad. Sir, Be pleased to accept the humble salutations of Parmar Kalidas Shivram. This is to humbly inform you that the hand of death is falling upon me today. It would not have been so if I had listened to the words of my parents. Be so good as to inform my parents of my death.” The librarian read the note and immediately ordered Kalidas to tear it up, which he did. The crowd continued to insult him, saying, “You want us to address you as our Talati? You are a Bhangi and want to sit on the chair?” Kalidas begged for forgiveness, promising not to repeat the act and to resign from his job. The mob held him there until 7 PM before dispersing, with neither the Talati nor the headman returning during that time. Deeply traumatized, Kalidas took 15 days’ leave and returned to his parents in Bombay. His story, shared at the 1938 Kasarwadi meeting, exposes the brutal reality of untouchability and caste violence in 1930s India. Kalidas’s quick thinking—writing the note to
Gujarat: How Dalit women are fighting hard to retain a 36-acre plot in Dholka
For over three decades, Baluben Makwana and others are battling gender disparity, caste hierarchy and an apathetic administration to retain land they transformed On May 16, a group of young men from the Darbar community, a backward caste, barged into the home of 76-year-old Dalit woman Baluben Makwana, in Vautha village of Ahmedabad’s Dholka taluka and threatened her. Makwana’s crime? Not only is she a Dalit and a woman but she also runs a farmers’ cooperative comprised entirely of Dalit women. For over three decades, they have been fighting against all odds to retain their ownership of a 36-acre plot of agricultural land in Dholka. The Darbars may be categorised as backward castes but in the ‘social order’ they rank several notches higher than Dalits. To the men who threatened Makwana that’s all that matters. Positioned higher in the social order, they see nothing inappropriate, let alone criminal, about demanding that the septuagenarian and her Jai Bheem Mahila Kheti Mandal (JBMKM) vacate the plot they transformed from a wasteland into a fertile agricultural land through 36 years of relentless hard work. Chasing a ‘mad dream’ This caste ‘privilege’ dates back ages. The Darbars have long been the dominant caste group in Vautha because of their large numbers in this village of 2,500-odd families. For generations, Vautha’s 70 Dalit families had lived at one end of the village and earned a livelihood by skinning dead animals and manual scavenging. It was this decades-old ‘system’ that Makwana shook up in 1989 when she mobilised 50 other Dalit women of Vautha to form the JBMKM. Priti Vaghela, a former member of Navsarjan Trust, Gujarat’s oldest Dalit rights organisation, which helped to form the JBMKM told The Federal, “Dalits of Vautha belong to the Valmiki sub-group, which is considered lowest in the social hierarchy even among the Dalits. In Vautha, Dalits are particularly vulnerable as the men are not earning much and are forcing the women into manual scavenging.” Vaghela recalled that prior to 1989, Dalit women of Vautha would be forced to clean open latrines used by upper caste women because the Dalit men didn’t earn enough to run a household. “At first, we thought we should form a collective of Dalit men to cultivate the land but most Dalit men backed off after being attacked by Darbar men. That’s when we encouraged their wives to get into farming. Over the years, sun or rain, they toiled for hours and stood tall against all atrocities by the Darbars,” explained Vaghela. Together, the 51 Dalit women that came together to form the JBMKM took a 36-acre plot, then a notified wasteland, from the local municipal body. Over the next decade, while locals, including their own family members, and the administration scoffed at their mad dream to become self-reliant farmers, Makwana and her comrades quietly toiled away nurturing the ‘wasteland’ they could call their own. By 2000, the JBMKM had achieved what many believed was impossible. The wasteland was now not only cultivable but was producing two crops a year. The yield was not just enough to meet their daily needs but there was also sufficient surplus to sell in the market and earn a modest income for the collective. In many ways, the JBMKM gave Vautha a new identity. The village known to Gujaratis largely for the Vautha Mela, an annual animal fair the village hosts along the Saptsangam, the confluence of the Vatrak and Sabarmati rivers, had become synonymous with this Dalit women’s farming collective. Troubles begin Then the troubles began – threats from castes higher in the social hierarchy, land grab attempts and even pressures from the administration to return the plot the women had ‘acquired’ without any official documentation to establish their ownership. Since then, fending off caste bullies and even government officials who storm in at their whim and fancy demanding that she and the other Dalit women farmers give up the land, has become part of Makwana’s daily chores. “This is not the first time the Darbars have threatened us to vacate the land we have cultivated for years with our blood and sweat. Thankfully, no one was hurt this time. They just swung around some furniture and punctured the tyre of the tractor we own. This happens every time during harvest season. They also try to destroy the crops but we have always managed to ward them off,” Makwana told The Federal. Last month, things had taken a nasty, although not unfamiliar, turn. The Darbars arrived with a posse of policemen from the local thana, shared Makwana. “The police tried to intimidate us and said we will be arrested under the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, 2020,” she said. The Act criminalizes land grabbing and involves 10 to 14 years of imprisonment along with a fine in case of a conviction. “We told them that we will give our lives but we won’t give up this land,” added the JBMKM founder. Fruits of hard labour Makwana claimed that it was purely the hard work and determination of the women in her collective that transformed the 36-acre wasteland plot into a sprawling agricultural field that today yields groundnut, castor and cotton crops. The sale of crops helps the JBMKM to register annual earnings of around Rs 8 lakh annually. “I still remember the first time I hit the wasteland with my spade. It was completely infested with gando baval (prosopis julifora, a thorny invasive wild shrub that is difficult to clear out as it regenerates if even a tiny root is left inside the earth; its pods are also toxic for livestock). For the initial few years, we did not have support of our families either. It took us 10 years to make this land cultivable. In the year 2000, we sold our first yield and by 2004 we bought a tractor as the land had started yielding two crops a year. That is when the Darbars began making trouble; now everyone wants a piece of it,” Makwana
Stalemate over cabinet expansion, new TPCC team continues
Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy, along with Telangana Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, met AICC general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday. They discussed candidates to be finalised for five of the six vacant cabinet berths, the new TPCC team — which includes four working presidents and a large team of vice-presidents and general secretaries, among other crucial issues. However, the discussions remained inconclusive regarding the finalisation of candidates for the cabinet and the new TPCC team. There is a possibility that Revanth Reddy may extend his stay in the national capital by another day to meet KC Venugopal again. If he does stay back, he is also expected to meet AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, depending on their availability, either on Monday or Tuesday. Mahesh Goud will remain in Delhi. He is also expected to attend the Telangana Congress BC leaders’ meeting with Rahul Gandhi on Monday, focusing on the caste census and the 42 per cent BC reservation Bill passed by the state assembly. However, there is no confirmation on whether the chief minister will also attend this session with Rahul Gandhi. The AICC has invited state ministers, Congress MPs, MLCs, MLAs, and corporation chairpersons from the Backward Classes communities for a meeting in Delhi on May 26 to discuss the caste census conducted by the Telangana govt. Sources in the AICC mentioned that it was an hour-long meeting where Revanth also discussed the strategy to be adopted on political platforms in connection with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reportedly naming him in the National Herald-Young India money laundering case, in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been named as A-1 and A-2. “The discussions mainly focused on the new TPCC team and social and district equations to be followed. Though there was a discussion on cabinet expansion too, it mainly centred around whether to take up the crucial exercise — pending for over one-and-a-half years — before the panchayat elections or after that. The Congress govt in Telangana wants to go for the rural local body polls when the monsoon is in full swing and after releasing Rythu Bharosa financial assistance to all the eligible farmers, and this could be in June or July,” said an AICC leader. The AICC leadership has also been delaying the finalisation of names for TPCC’s new team, pending for eight months since B Mahesh Kumar Goud took over the reins of the state unit of the party from chief minister Revanth Reddy in Sept 2024. 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.
TN to induct trans persons into home guard services
Chennai: To promote inclusivity, the Tamil Nadu govt will soon induct members of the transgender community into the state’s home guard services. Officials from the Tamil Nadu transgender welfare board said selected members will undergo training in traffic management, crowd control, and assisting in emergencies such as floods, including rescue and relief operations. In the first phase, 50 transgender individuals will be selected and deployed in Chennai, Avadi, and Tambaram. They will be provided uniforms on a par with other home guard personnel, officials said, adding that the first batch will join within a month. However, members of the community stressed the need for sustained support beyond symbolic gestures. A transgender priest from Old Washermenpet, known as Ravi ‘Amma’, said the previous efforts lacked continuity. “Sensitisation within govt departments is essential to ensure we are treated with dignity. Social support must also be strengthened,” she said. She recalled how Greater Chennai Corporation had appointed ten transgender individuals as clean ambassadors under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), but most eventually quit due to poor acceptance within the departments. In a broader push for trans rights and welfare, the govt on Sunday also announced a revamp of the state’s transgender welfare board, which will now include 28 members — among them transgender women, a trans man, an intersex person, and a woman. The board oversees pensions, business subsidies, education aid, ID cards, and skill training for the community. The monthly pension for destitute transgender persons above 40 years has been increased from 1,000 to 1,500, with 3 crore allocated for 1,760 beneficiaries in the 2025–26 financial year. During the second wave of Covid-19, more than 17,000 transgender persons without family cards received financial aid totaling 3.4 crore. More than 10,000 individuals have used the state’s “Thirunangai” app to access ID services. Additionally, more than 800 people have availed self-employment subsidies of up to 50,000 each. Education aid and a 1 lakh annual award also continue to support empowerment and public recognition. 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.
Hemant govt must take initiative for OBC reservations in edu institutions: Cong
Jamshedpur: The ruling alliance party, Congress, has appealed to the Hemant Soren govt to take the initiative for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in educational institutions across the state. Making the appeal, state Congress in-charge Koppula Raju said Article 15 (5) of the Constitution allows the state to make provisions for the betterment of socially and economically backward classes, concerning their admission to educational institutions. While speaking at the Samvidhan Bachao Rally at Sakchi on Sunday, the Congress leader said the state govt must take the initiative without any delay. Raju also said party leader Rahul Gandhi played a pivotal role in driving the Narendra Modi govt at the Centre to give its nod for the caste census. “From the streets to Parliament, Rahul Gandhi fought for the rights of the OBC community which forced the Modi government to bow before the legitimate demand and agree to a census of the backward classes,” Raju said, addressing the crowd at the Sakchi parking zone. Stating that protecting the Constitution is the responsibility of all Indians, Raju further said, “Congress has taken the lead but it is the responsibility of all citizens to participate in the campaign to uphold the democratic values, principles and constitutional provisions.” During the rally, the party passed a resolution praising the armed forces for their commendable feat in ‘Operation Sindoor’. The bravery and courage demonstrated by the soldiers ensured a strong military response to Pakistan, he added. Speaking on the occasion, state Congress president, Keshav Mahato Kamlesh, said the Modi govt failed to align with the spirit of the Constitution, claiming that it was grossly undermined by the Centre with its activities in the last 11 years. The rally was necessitated to make the common people know how the Modi govt is violating the Constitution, Kamlesh said. Top party leaders of the state attended the rally organised by the East Singhbhum district Congress committee. 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.
MP: Ambedkar statue dispute in Gwalior High Court premises: Bhim Army workers beaten up by lawyers
After this entire incident, a situation of caste tension has arisen in Gwalior. On the one hand, Ambedkar followers are calling this entire incident a conspiracy to suppress the voice of Dalits. Bhopal. The dispute that arose in the Gwalior High Court Bench premises over the installation of the statue of Constitution maker Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar has now turned into caste tension. On Saturday evening, this tension took a violent turn when some lawyers of the Bar Association beat up Bhim Army leader Rupesh Kane and his associates in the presence of police force. This incident took place outside the City Center premises of the High Court, where heavy police force was already deployed. The roots of this entire incident were laid when the news of the plan to install the statue of Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar in the High Court premises came to light. A group of Ambedkarite lawyers reached the High Court with the statue and talked about installing the statue on May 14. They claimed that they have received permission for this. A crane was also called for this, but as soon as the installation process started, the Bar Association protested against it and created a ruckus. The Bar Association says that the seven-member building committee of the High Court has not given permission to install the statue. They argue that such activities in the judicial complex affect the dignity of the court. Bheem Army arrived after the lawyers’ warning After the clash on Thursday, a group of lawyers had openly warned that whatever happens in the court premises, Ambedkar’s statue will not be allowed to be installed. They had said that “This is a court, not a street or a locality, let the Bhim Army come and show itself here.” In response to this warning, Bhim Army leader Rupesh Kane reached outside the High Court premises with his team on Saturday evening. Police force was already deployed there, but as soon as the court time ended at 5 pm and the lawyers came out, the situation worsened after seeing Rupesh Kane. Despite the police stopping them, the lawyers surrounded the Bhim Army leaders and attacked them. VIP Road became a battlefield The VIP road outside the High Court turned into a battlefield for some time. Police, lawyers and Bhim Army members were seen all around. As soon as slogans of Jai Bhim were raised, the anger of the lawyers flared up and they beat Rupesh Kane and his companions with kicks and punches. The police tried to control the situation and removed the Bhim Army leaders from there and took them to a safe place. In a conversation with The Mooknayak, Bhim Army leader Rupesh Kane said that he was standing outside the High Court premises, when suddenly a group of lawyers came and attacked him. According to Rupesh Kane, the attacking lawyers had sticks. They beat him badly by throwing him on the ground and allegedly abused him with casteist slurs. Roopesh said that a complaint has been lodged with the police about this incident, but the police say that they are investigating the matter. No FIR has been registered in this case so far. In view of the situation after the uproar, the administration has increased the police force. A large number of police forces are now deployed around the High Court premises. Regarding this entire dispute, Additional SP Krishna Lalchandani said, “A decision was to be taken on when and how the statue would be installed. Before this, a dispute arose between the two parties. The police have brought the situation under control. Now the next hearing will be held on May 19.” Police’s role under question After this incident, questions are also being raised on the role of the police. Eyewitnesses say that the police was present on the spot, but it did not make enough efforts to stop the lawyers. The Bhim Army has expressed displeasure over this and alleged that this attack was pre-planned and the administration remained a mute spectator. Tension in Gwalior After this entire incident, a situation of caste tension has arisen in Gwalior. On the one hand, while Ambedkar followers are calling this entire incident a conspiracy to suppress the voice of Dalits, a section of lawyers is calling it a case of violation of the dignity of the judicial complex. Now the entire matter will be heard on May 19, in which it will be decided whether permission will be given to install Ambedkar’s statue or not. At present, there is tight security in the Gwalior High Court premises and the district administration has intensified preparations to deal with any situation. Courtesy: Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News