Trans Feminist Collective launched, raises concernsover 2026 transgender law
over 2026 transgender law The launch event centered on criticism of the recently passed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026. The Trans Feminist Collective (TFC) was launched on Sunday to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), bringing together transgender activists, feminists, Dalit rights leaders, and a delegation from Nepal’s Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO) to build an intersectional movement for justice. The launch event centered on criticism of the recently passed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, which speakers said dilutes the right to self-identification upheld by the Supreme Court in its landmark 2014 NALSA judgment. Delivering the keynote address, Ruth Manorama, president of the National Federation of Dalit Women (NFDW), said transgender, intersex and gender-non-conforming communities are integral to safeguarding democracy. She stressed that the fight for trans rights cannot be separated from anti-caste and feminist movements. “When a community must repeatedly prove who they are to doctors and bureaucrats, dignity is replaced with suspicion,” she said. TFC co-founder Soumya invoked the egalitarian teachings of Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi, and argued that the 2026 Act deals a major setback to the community by recognising only Hijra identities within a restrictive religious framework, while ignoring the diversity of gender identities. Another co-founder and activist, Akkai Padmashali, said the 2014 Supreme Court judgment had raised hopes within the community, but claimed that the new legislation had reversed many of those gains. She said the collective was formed to secure constitutional rights and ensure transgender participation in democratic decision-making. The founders also highlighted the struggles faced by working class, Dalit and Adivasi transgender persons, saying many continue to face violence and exclusion from housing, education and healthcare, forcing some into begging and sex work for survival. “Visibility without redistributive justice is not justice. Representation without transformation is not liberation,” the collective said. Courtesy : DH Note: This news is originally published on https:/deccanherald.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
UDF returns to power after 10 years; thousands gather for swearing-in in Thiruvananthapuram
Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala capital turned into a sea of white on Monday as thousands of UDF workers and supporters from across the state gathered for the oath-taking ceremony of the Congress-led government, which returned to power after a decade-long Left rule with a thumping victory in the Assembly polls. The pavilion set up at the Central Stadium for the swearing-in ceremony was packed with UDF workers and supporters wearing white khadi shirts and mundu, waving flags of alliance partners and raising slogans in support of the coalition. The crowd, including children, braved the humid weather to attend the event. Many others who could not enter the venue gathered around the stadium in large numbers. Many people told reporters that they had waited 10 years to see their alliance return to power and said it would be a great government. “When a UDF government comes back to power after 10 years, it will energise every Congress worker,” they said and shouted — “team UDF and UDF zindabad”. Supporters also danced to the beats of drums played inside and outside the pavilion, celebrating the alliance’s return to power. From 8 am onwards, party leaders, MLA-elects and MPs arrived at the venue one after another. Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Tight security arrangements were put in place across the state capital ahead of the high-profile event. Special traffic arrangements were also made in view of the large number of VIPs and UDF supporters arriving in the city. Traffic and parking regulations remained in effect from 7 am to 4 pm. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, and the results were declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 seats and the BJP won three. The MLAs are scheduled to take oath on May 21, followed by the election of the Assembly Speaker on May 22. The Governor’s policy address is scheduled for May 29, and the state budget is likely to be presented by June 5. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
V D Satheesan takes oath as Kerala Chief Minister with 20-member Cabinet as UDF returns to power after a decade
Congress-led alliance assumes power in Kerala after sweeping Assembly poll victory over the LDF; Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and top leaders attend swearing-in ceremony. A decade after being pushed to the opposition benches, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) stormed back to power in Kerala on Monday, with VD Satheesan taking oath as the state’s 13th Chief Minister at a high-voltage ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram. In a packed Central Stadium drenched in Congress flags, drumbeats and chants of “UDF zindabad”, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet, formally ending the CPI(M)-led LDF’s 10-year rule in the state. Thousands of UDF workers and supporters from across Kerala flooded the capital city from early morning, turning the venue and surrounding roads into a sea of white khadi shirts and mundu. As Satheesan rose to take oath in the name of God, the crowd erupted in celebration, marking what many Congress workers described as the party’s biggest political comeback in years. The 61-year-old Paravur MLA, credited with rebuilding the Congress organisation and scripting the UDF’s emphatic electoral victory, assumes office after leading the alliance to a stunning 102-seat triumph in the 140-member Assembly. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three. The swearing-in ceremony doubled as a show of strength for the Congress nationally, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra occupying the front row. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar were among the senior Congress leaders who attended the event. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, now set to become the Leader of Opposition, was also present along with Left leaders and BJP representatives, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Satheesan’s ministry signals both continuity and generational transition. Fourteen of the 21 ministers, including the Chief Minister himself, are first-timers in executive office, a rare reshaping of Kerala’s political establishment. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was widely seen as a contender for the chief ministership, took oath as the third member of the Cabinet and is expected to handle the powerful Home portfolio. K. Muraleedharan, A.P. Anil Kumar and KPCC president Sunny Joseph are among the senior Congress faces in the ministry. The IUML, the second-largest constituent in the UDF, secured five Cabinet berths with P.K. Kunhalikutty emerging as the coalition’s second most powerful figure politically. RSP leader Shibu Baby John, Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader Mons Joseph, Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob and CMP leader C.P. John also joined the ministry. The Cabinet includes two women ministers , Bindhu Krishna and K.A. Thulasi, while Scheduled Caste representation has increased to two with Thulasi and A.P. Anil Kumar becoming ministers. Among the new-generation faces in the ministry are P.C. Vishnunadh, Roji M. John, T. Siddique, M. Liju and O.J. Janeesh from the Congress, besides IUML leaders N. Shamsudheen, K.M. Shaji, P.K. Basheer and V.E. Abdul Gafoor. The mood outside the stadium resembled a festival. Supporters danced to percussion performances, waved giant party flags and burst into slogans as ministers took oath one after another. Security was tightened across the capital with heavy police deployment and traffic restrictions in place throughout the day. For the Congress in Kerala, the day marked more than just a change of government. It signalled the return of the UDF after two consecutive defeats, the rise of Satheesan from Opposition leader to Chief Minister, and the beginning of what the party hopes will be a long-awaited political reset in the state. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Robert Vadra withdraws from Delhi HC plea challenging trial court order in Haryana land deal case
The counsel for Vadra said he would make “appropriate submissions” before the trial court at an “appropriate stage.” Businessman and spouse of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Robert Vadra, on Monday withdrew in the Delhi High Court his petition challenging a trial court order summoning him for questioning in a money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana. The probe against Vadra is linked to the land deal at Manesar-Shikohpur (now Sector 83) in Gurugram district. “Learned counsel for the petitioner, at the very outset, submits that as per his instructions, the petitioner is not interested in pursuing the present petition and they seek to withdraw the same unconditionally,” Justice Manoj Jain recorded in the order. The counsel for Vadra said he would make “appropriate submissions” before the trial court at an “appropriate stage.” All rights and contentions of the parties are kept open and the petition is disposed of, Justice Jain said. Last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the petition, contending that it was based on a false legal submission. The agency made the claim while countering the submission by Vadra’s lawyer, senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who argued that ED lacked the jurisdiction to probe the case as the offences filed against the petitioner under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act were not “scheduled offences” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act at the relevant time. Singhvi argued that the land deal admittedly happened between 2008 and 2012, and the offences forming the basis of the ED case were only included in the schedule in 2013 and 2018. However, the ED’s lawyer said the petitioner’s contention was incorrect and was a “complete false statement on law.” On April 15, 2026, the trial court took cognisance of offences in the charge sheet filed by ED in July 2025 and asked Vadra and others to appear before it on May 16. This was the first time that any probe agency filed a charge sheet against the 57-year-old Vadra in a criminal case. In April 2025, the ED had questioned him for three consecutive days. In the cognisance order, Special Judge Sushant Changotra had said that the chargesheet and a prima facie broader scrutiny of the documents, disclosed sufficient material to proceed further against Vadra and eight other accused persons. “Accordingly, I take cognisance of the offences under Section 3 (money laundering) read with Section 70 (offences committed by companies) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, punishable under Section 4 of the Act,” the judge had said. The land deal pertaining to the case was done in February 2008 by a company named Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, where Vadra was a director earlier. Under the deal, the company purchased a 3.5-acre plot in Shikohpur from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore. At the time, Haryana was ruled by the Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Four years later, in September 2012, the company sold the land to realty major DLF for Rs 58 crore. The deal got embroiled in controversy in October 2012 after IAS officer Ashok Khemka, then posted as director general of land consolidation and land records-cum-inspector-general of registration, cancelled the mutation after categorising the transaction as violative of the state consolidation act and some related procedures. Vadra has been denying any wrongdoing, calling the case a “political vendetta” against him and his family, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Besides Vadra, summonses were also issued to Kewal Singh Virk, Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd (now Skylight Hospitality LLP), Sky Light Realty Private Limited, Real Earth Estates Private Limited (now Real Earth Estates LLP), Blue Breeze Trading Private Limited (now Blue Breeze Trading LLP) and others. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Transgender University of Washington student stabbed over 40 times: Court documents
“Our family has been shattered,” Juniper Blessing’s family said. Teen found dead at UW off-campus apartment; police search for suspectPolice probe the death of a 19-year-old transgender woman at a Seattle apartment. ABC News’ Trevor Ault reports as the search for a suspect continues. The transgender University of Washington student who was killed in a student housing building suffered over 40 stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulder, arms and hands, according to the probable cause statement. Juniper Blessing, 19, was found covered in blood in the laundry room of the Nordheim Court building on Sunday night, according to court documents. The suspect, 31-year-old Christopher Leahy, surrendered to police on Wednesday and was booked for first-degree murder, documents said. “Our family has been shattered,” Blessing’s family said in a statement released by the Human Rights Alliance. “Juniper was simply the most amazing human being we have ever known — highly intelligent, extremely talented, and deeply sensitive to the needs of others. Juniper’s loss not only devastates us but diminishes the world.” “A gifted singer with a transcendent voice, Juniper was admitted to New Mexico School for the Arts, where they studied from 2020 until 2024,” the family said. “Weather was a love of Juniper’s since early childhood, and at the University of Washington they intended to study Atmospheric Science while continuing to study voice and pursuing minors in Music and Philosophy. They loved Seattle and Santa Fe, where they worked as an usher during summers at the Santa Fe Opera.” “Juniper was courageously living their life as who they were until it was cut tragically short,” the family said. According to court documents, another Nordeim Court resident told police that shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday, a man followed her when she used her card to access the building and laundry room. She said the man told her he was waiting for his laundry. Surveillance video shows them in the laundry room and the suspect “appears to be visually searching the room for cameras,” court documents said, before he left the room. A video from 10 p.m. shows Blessing in the laundry room, and the suspect “comes back into the laundry room and stares directly into the camera,” documents said. The suspect “appears to follow the path of the cord with his eyes and head from the camera around the wall above the doorway,” documents said. “He then turns to exit the laundry room, something clatters to the ground and he pauses. He continues out of the laundry room at 10:00:27 p.m.” “Blessing is seen cleaning the lint tray, appears to add more time to the dryer, then stands up and deposits the lint into the garbage at the end of the bank of dryers. … The video stops at 10:01:01 p.m.,” documents said. Seattle police released the images of the suspect in the laundry room, documents said. A man named Patrick Leahy contacted police saying the suspect in the image was “without a doubt” his brother, Christopher Leahy, according to the documents, and a friend also reached out to police identifying Christopher Leahy as the man in the photo. Christopher Leahy’s attorney called the Bellevue Police Department on Wednesday night to say he was turning himself in, documents said. Christopher Leahy came to the department with his parents and was taken into custody, the documents said. Christopher Leahy made his first court appearance on Thursday and is due back in court on Monday, according to ABC Seattle affiliate KOMO. He has not entered a plea. ByEmily Shapiro Courtesy : ABC News Note: This news is originally published on https:/abcnews.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit land encroached by powerful people: Victim seeks justice at Samadhan Diwas in Manikpur
During the Samadhan Diwas held in Manikpur, Chitrakoot, a case came to light in which a Scheduled Caste man alleged illegal occupation of his agricultural land. The victim appealed to the Sub-District Magistrate for justice. A resident of Jawahar Nagar in Manikpur town stated in his complaint that his agricultural land is located in village Itro, Tehsil Manikpur. This land is registered as Khata number 105 and measures approximately 12.5 Biswas. According to the victim, this land falls under the Scheduled Caste category. The victim alleges that some villagers have forcibly occupied his entire land. The encroachers have established their occupation by placing stones and building a boundary wall. They are also attempting to establish permanent occupation by planting trees. The victim stated that despite repeated protests and complaints, no action has been taken. This has caused him financial and mental distress. On Samadhan Diwas, he demanded that the administration measure and demarcate the land, remove the encroachment, and take action against the culprits. Pankaj Tiwari | Manikpur, Chitrakoot Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit rickshaw puller brutally beaten in Barabanki: Attacked with iron rods and bamboo sticks by goons; case filed under SC/ST Act
A case of a Dalit rickshaw puller being beaten with iron rods and bamboo sticks due to an old rivalry has come to light in the Subeha police station area of Barabanki. Police have registered a case under various sections, including the SC/ST Act, and have begun an investigation. Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh: A case of a Dalit rickshaw puller being brutally beaten due to an old rivalry has come to light in the village of Pure Amrit Majra Shukulpur, under the Subeha police station area of Barabanki district. The incident caused a stir in the area. On the complaint of the victim, police have registered a case under the SC/ST Act and other serious sections and have begun an investigation. Allegations of assault with iron rods and bamboo sticks According to the victim, Mangali, son of Haripal, a resident of Pure Amrit Majra Shukulpur, he was driving his rickshaw on May 15, 2026, at around 1:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Akhilesh, Guddu, and another unidentified man from the same village arrived in a four-wheeler. The victim alleges that the accused began abusing him over an old rivalry. When he resisted, they attacked him with an iron rod and bamboo, seriously injuring him. After the assault, the accused threatened to kill him and fled the scene. The injured youth was treated at the Community Health Center (CHC). The family immediately rushed Mangali, who was injured in the incident, to the Community Health Center (CHC), Haidergarh, where he was treated. The victim suffered multiple serious injuries. Following the incident, the family is filled with panic and anger. Police filed a case under the SC/ST Act. Following the incident, the victim went to the Subeha police station and filed a complaint against the accused. Taking the matter seriously, the police have filed a case under the SC/ST Act and other sections. In-charge Inspector Bechu Singh Yadav stated that the injured youth has been medically examined and further legal action is being taken in the case. Tension in the village, police investigating The incident has created a tense atmosphere in the village. Police are investigating the matter and searching for the accused. Local residents have demanded strict action against the culprits to prevent such incidents in the future. KAMRAN ALVI Report – Mansoof Ahmed COURTESY: HINDI NEWS
Thirumaavalavan: The centre of Tamil Nadu’s power game
The 63-year-old suddenly became the hinge between two futures: helping Vijay complete his rise to power, or accepting an extraordinary proposal from the DMK and the AIADMK to become the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister. Chennai: On May 8 and 9, Tamil Nadu politics began revolving around a Dalit man who did not hold enough MLAs to form or topple a government, or even dominate the Assembly numerically. Yet every major party waited for VCK president Tholkappiyan Thirumaavalavan. The 63-year-old suddenly became the hinge between two futures: helping TVK president C Joseph Vijay complete his rise to power, or accepting an extraordinary proposal from the DMK and the AIADMK to become the state’s first Dalit chief minister. Thirumaavalavan was neither reluctant nor confident about the latter proposal. He knew the move might have carried the tacit blessings of the BJP — his ideological adversary for nearly two decades. Yet, the DMK and the AIADMK continued to court him in a last-ditch effort. While the DMK agreed to the idea of a Dalit CM, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami initially opposed it. The original plan behind the DMK-AIADMK alignment was to let Palaniswami head a coalition government with smaller allies on both sides, backed by external support from the DMK On May 8 evening, when his decision was expected, Thirumaavalavan went incommunicado. He was later spotted at then-outgoing CM M K Stalin’s residence, and kept most visitors away, deepening speculation around his next move. The next day, TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna landed at Thirumaavalavan’s office and received the letters of support from the VCK’s two MLAs, effectively bringing down the curtains on one of the most dramatic coalition moments in TN’s politics. VCK sources insisted that the delay was not because Thirumaavalavan was interested in the CM’s post, but because he wanted to consult senior office-bearers and district-level functionaries. Political journey Born in Anganur in the Ariyalur district, Thirumaavalavan worked in the Tamil Nadu Forensic Sciences Department in Coimbatore, Chennai, and Madurai before coming into contact with Malaichamy, founder of the Dalit Panthers Iyakkam. After Malaichamy died in 1989, Thirumaavalavan assumed leadership of the movement and began working in villages across southern Tamil Nadu, where caste oppression often remained invisible. The organisation entered electoral politics in 1999 at the insistence of Congress veteran G K Moopanar, who attempted to build a Third Front against both the DMK and the AIADMK. The experiment failed electorally, but it marked Thirumaavalavan’s transition from an activist to a full-time politician. Over the next two decades, he emerged as one of Tamil Nadu’s most recognisable Dalit voices, particularly for his confrontational politics against caste violence and, later, his uncompromising opposition to the BJP and its Hindutva ideology. His politics increasingly fused Ambedkarite, Marxist, and Periyarist frameworks, while consciously bringing Muslims into a broader subaltern political coalition against majoritarian nationalism. Ironically, Thirumaavalavan first entered the Assembly from the Mangalore constituency in the Cuddalore district while aligned with a DMK-BJP alliance. He later described that phase as a political “misadventure” and resigned his seat in 2004. Since then, he has never aligned with the BJP. He also adopted a firm stand against the PMK — a Vanniyar-based party — after caste violence targeting Dalits intensified in northern Tamil Nadu. In 2011, he declared that he would never again be part of any alliance that included the PMK. Ideology vs survival? Both the DMK and the AIADMK continued courting him over the years because the VCK wielded influence across parts of northern and central Tamil Nadu, especially among Dalit youths. A three-time Lok Sabha member from Chidambaram, Thirumaavalavan became electorally useful to larger alliances while also remaining ideologically inconvenient to them. Feeling that the VCK had little independent future if it remained permanently tied to the Dravidian majors, he experimented with a Third Front in 2016 under actor Vijayakanth alongside the Left parties. The alliance collapsed electorally, and Thirumaavalavan himself lost narrowly. Since then, he has returned as a trusted DMK ally. But during the DMK’s 2021-2026 tenure, he faced increasing criticism from Dalit activists and younger cadres for his perceived silence on caste atrocities and for not holding the Stalin government sufficiently accountable. As the VCK’s seat share diminished over successive elections, many supporters urged him to walk out of the DMK alliance altogether. Yet the BJP’s presence within the AIADMK-led front closed that route. At the same time, Thirumaavalavan struggled to prevent a visible drift of Dalit youth toward Vijay and the TVK. In what many saw as an attempt to reassert independent strength, he briefly announced his candidature from Kattumannarkoil before withdrawing it after reported unhappiness within the DMK. Ultimately, the VCK won only two seats this time. Yet in a fractured Assembly, those two seats suddenly became decisive. Part of Thirumaavalavan’s long-term political project has been to expand the VCK beyond a purely Dalit party by drawing in Muslims and even sections of non-Dalit backward communities — particularly Vanniyars. It has produced partial electoral success but also internal anxieties over ideological compromise and political dilution. With just two MLAs, the VCK is now well-positioned to achieve one of its founding principles — seeking a share in power and being part of a government. And Thirumaavalavan seems to be moving towards accepting this historic opportunity and seeing his men enjoying power. Courtesy : DH Note: This news is originally published on https:/deccanherald.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit Family Allegedly Barred from Public Well in Gujarat’s Surendranagar, Case Filed Under Atrocities Act
A case of alleged caste-based discrimination has surfaced from Metasar village in Patdi taluka of Gujarat’s Surendranagar district, where a Scheduled Caste family has reportedly been socially boycotted and denied access to water from a public well. The incident came to light after a video related to the alleged discrimination circulated in the area, prompting police action and triggering a wider debate on untouchability and caste-based exclusion in rural India. FIR Registered Under SC/ST Atrocities Act Following a complaint, police registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 against several individuals accused of stopping the family from using the village well and allegedly using caste-based abuse. Those named in the complaint include Kukabhai, Dharmshibhai, Mansukhbhai, Pratapbhai, Somabhai, and two women. Police have begun investigation and initiated legal proceedings. Authorities have also assigned a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP)-level officer to probe the matter, considering the seriousness of allegations involving social boycott and denial of access to a public water source. What the Complaint Says According to the complaint filed by Dilipbhai Bhikhabhai Rathod, a resident originally from Metasar who now lives in Rajkot, his family had returned to the village when the incident occurred. During their visit, a woman from the family reportedly went to fetch water from a public well but was stopped by some villagers. The accused allegedly prevented her from drawing water, used casteist slurs, and misbehaved with her. Police said an FIR was registered after preliminary verification of the complaint and available evidence. Police Say Investigation Underway Deputy Superintendent of Police Parth Parmar said that statements and evidence have been collected so far and further investigation is in progress. “All necessary evidence has been collected and further investigation is underway. Steps are being taken to detain the accused and proceed with legal action,” he said, adding that efforts are being made to ensure such incidents do not recur. Allegations of Continued Discrimination in Rural Areas The incident has also drawn reactions from social and religious voices. Buddhist monk Bhante Pathik claimed that caste discrimination remains prevalent in parts of Surendranagar district and continues to affect Scheduled Caste communities. He alleged that in some villages, social restrictions still exist on everyday practices such as grooming styles, mobility, and access to public resources. He further said that discrimination has contributed to religious conversions, claiming that over 380 people in the district have embraced Buddhism in the past decade under his guidance. Courtesy : TOP Note: This news is originally published on https:/theobserverpost.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
“We Are Pundits, You Are a Rat”: Dalit Youth Alleges Caste Abuse, Threats in Delhi’s Mehrauli
A serious case of alleged caste-based abuse and police negligence has emerged from the Mehrauli area of Delhi, where a Dalit youth, Vipin Kumar Duggal, has accused an unidentified man of publicly hurling casteist slurs and attempting to assault him. The victim claims that despite providing video evidence and details of the accused’s vehicle, the Delhi Police has not registered an FIR even several days after the incident. According to the complaint, the incident took place on May 10, 2026, around 5:35 pm, when Vipin Kumar was returning home on his motorcycle from Duggal Market. He said the altercation began near the residence of former mayor Satbir Singh after a dispute involving rash driving. “We are Pundits, You Are a Rat”: Casteist Slurs Alleged The victim alleges that the man riding a black Hero Splendor motorcycle (registration number DL3SFP1057) became aggressive after a minor road argument and began abusing him using caste-based remarks. Vipin Kumar claimed the accused pushed him and shouted derogatory slurs, saying, “I know you… we are Pundits, you are a rat… yes I am telling you,” as per the complaint. When the victim started recording the incident on his mobile phone, the accused allegedly threatened him, claiming to be an army personnel and saying that the police could not take action against him. Complaint Filed, But FIR Not Registered, Says Victim The victim immediately contacted the police helpline number 112 and later reached Mehrauli police station, where he submitted a written complaint (DD No. 145A). He alleged that instead of immediate action, the accused also arrived at the police station with associates and tried to pressure him, even misbehaving on the premises before leaving. Despite submitting vehicle details and the accused’s mobile number, the victim claims that no FIR has been registered so far. He further alleged that the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Naveen Kumar, has not responded properly and avoided taking action even after repeated follow-ups. Repeated Police Visits and Escalation to Authorities Frustrated by what he described as police inaction, Vipin Kumar sent emails on May 12 to the DCP (South), ACP (Mehrauli), and SHO concerned, seeking immediate intervention. He also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), alleging violation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The victim further claimed that when he revisited the police station, the SHO denied knowledge of the case, even though several days had passed since the complaint was filed. Courtesy : TOP Note: This news is originally published on https:/theobserverpost.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights