Decades on, 41 Dalit families in Dharamsala await land ownership rights
As many as 41 Dalit families belonging to the Balmiki community in Dharamsala are still awaiting proprietary rights to the residential plots they have inhabited for several decades. These plots were originally allotted to them in the 1960s by Partap Singh Kairon, the then Chief Minister of the undivided Punjab. However, after the reorganisation of states and the formation of Himachal Pradesh in 1966, the new state government failed to address their longstanding demand for ownership rights. The families have been living on government land bearing ‘’khasra’’ number 3362/1013, measuring 5,113.87 square metres. Over the years, they have constructed permanent (pucca) houses on the land, and some of them are now of the second generation. Despite this, they do not hold any legal title to the land. The issue was recently taken up with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu by Devinder Jaggi, former Mayor of Dharamsala, who urged the government to grant ownership rights to the Balmiki families, who have now lived on the land for over 60 years. “I have urged the Chief Minister to resolve this decades-old issue and grant ownership rights. It will provide permanent housing security to these families and mark a landmark step towards social justice for the Balmiki community in the hill state,” said Jaggi. In response, the Chief Minister has directed the District Magistrate of Kangra, Hemraj Bairwa to look into the matter and take appropriate action. Speaking to The Tribune, Bairwa confirmed that the issue had recently come to his attention. “This is a long-pending matter. I have taken it up with the government and am hopeful that proprietary rights will soon be granted to the current occupants of these residential plots,” he said. Bairwa has forwarded his recommendations to the Additional Chief Secretary and Finance Commissioner (Revenue) for approval of land regularisation and expansion of the Dalit colonies. Article_Author Kulwinder Sandhu Courtesy : The Tribune Note: This news is originally published on https:/thetribune.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Akhilesh snubs EC for SIR in Bihar
Ranchi: Former UP CM and national president of Samajwadi Party (SP), Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday hit out at the Election Commission again over the timing of the special intensive revision (SIR), which has led to an impasse both inside Parliament and outside on the streets. On Rahul Gandhi’s alleged exposé over the voters’ list last week and the EC asking him to submit the claims under an affidavit, Yadav said, “The affidavit which EC is asking Rahul Gandhi today, we (Samajwadi Party) had already done so before the poll panel two years ago on the deletion of voters but till date there has been no action.” “BJP is now resorting to vote theft, wants to snatch the right to vote from the people through the EC,” he claimed while talking to reporters outside the Ranchi airport before heading to Nemra to pay tributes to JMM founder Shibu Soren, who died on August 4. Several VVIPs and VIPs have been visiting Nemra to pay their tributes to the ‘Dishom Guru’. Notably, chief minister Hemant Soren and his entire family are currently camping at their ancestral house in Nemra for the shradha rituals, which will take place on August 16. Yadav, who is also an MP, further said, “BJP’s tactics have been to conspire and plot when they don’t have answers to credible and basic questions. Ahead of the Bihar assembly election, when it realised that they are on a sticky wicket, it is now conspiring to manipulate votes,” he claimed. The SP president added, “SIR could have been brought in a year ago, but the reason it was introduced now ahead of the Bihar polls is to rob lakhs of people of their voting rights as part of its conspiracy.” In Nemra, Yadav met Hemant, wife Kalpana, late Shibu’s wife Roopi and other family members to offer his condolences. Taking to X after the meeting, Yadav wrote: “The life of Guruji (Shibu Soren) was full of struggle. He struggled for the rights of his people, tribal brothers and sisters, and issues of the community throughout his life. He saw political ups and downs for jal, jungle, jameen, but he did not get disappointed. He left behind a political lineage to his son Hemant Soren. We need to take it forward.” Meanwhile, Nemra is gearing up for the mega congregation of political leaders during the shradha rituals. The nondescript village is fast witnessing basic infrastructural developments as the administration has laid a PCC road leading to the hamlet, besides constructing around four helipads for ease of landing of the VVIPs. The administration has also installed a mobile phone tower among other facilities. Administrative sources said once again, Nemra is set to witness a sea of crowds on August 16, and various teams have been formed to ensure proper law and order, and other requirements. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Youth Congress activists stop express train at Aurangabad to protest against police action on Rahul Gandhi
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A group of local activists from the student wing of Congress briefly detained the Nagarsol-Narasapur Express train at Aurangabad railway station on Tuesday afternoon. The action was taken in protest against police measures targeting Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. The express arrived at Aurangabad railway station at around 2.10pm for a scheduled five-minute halt, during which approximately 35 activists from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) entered the station. While security forces attempted to prevent them from reaching the rail line, around eight NSUI activists climbed onto the train, shouting slogans against Centre. The police present at the scene quickly intervened and detained the activists, who were then taken to the railway police chowkey. Railway police registered an offence against eight NSUI activists, including district president Mohit Jadhav, under relevant sections of the Railways Act, 1989. All of them were released later after being served a notice under section 35(3) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Aurangabad station master Sunil Birare said the NSUI agitation did not impact the movement of trains. “The Nagarsol-Narasapur Express train had a scheduled departure from Aurangabad at 2.15 pm and left the station with a delay of only a minute. Movement of other trains was unaffected,” he said. Jadhav said the NSUI would intensify its agitation in support of Rahul Gandhi and the ‘Vote Chori’ agitation launched by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. “It is high time that we raise our voices against BJP govt in Centre to save democracy. Ours was a peaceful agitation to draw public attention to attempts to rig every poll,” he said. When contacted, Congress district president Kiran Patil Dongaonkar said he was unaware of the NSUI agitation at Aurangabad railway station. “The local unit of Congress held a protest on Monday to oppose the police detention of Rahul Gandhi. A section of NSUI activists were perhaps not present for Monday’s agitation and, therefore, held a separate protest at the railway station on Tuesday,” he said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
2024 mandate stolen from Congress: Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday told Congress that the “2024 mandate” was stolen from it, as the party finalised a three-stage campaign over two months to intensify its protest against “vote chori”, starting with a nationwide torchlight march on the eve of Independence Day. At a meeting of Congress office bearers chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul is said to have remarked that the Lok Sabha election results would have gone in favour of Congress but the party was robbed of it. He is said to have mentioned that Congress lost over 40 seats owing to voter list manipulation like his “expose” on the Mahadevapura assembly constituency in Bangalore Central LS seat. Sources said Congress was doing voter list analyses in many more seats. Rahul alluded to the possibility of more revelations, when he urged patience and told reporters, “picture abhi baaki hai”. “There is not just one seat (where there is ‘vote chori’) but a number of seats. This is being done at a national level and systematically. EC knows it and we know it too,” Rahul said. Congress will take out a “mashaal ma-rch” at every district headquarters on the night of Aug 14 targeting BJP over “manipulation of voters lists”. It will then hold rallies in all state capitals between Aug 22-Sept 7. From Sept 15-Oct 15, the party will run a massive signature campaign to “save the right to vote” and to “serve as a referendum against BJP’s destruction of democracy”. All three programmes will be titled “vote chor, gaddi chhod”. The meeting included Rahul, KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken, Sachin Pilot, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kumari Selja, Jitendra Singh, Randeep Surjewala, Avinash Pande, K Raju and Bhupesh Baghel, among others. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Attack on Dalit family in Mainpuri: In land dispute, miscreants pelted stones, three including a woman injured; demand for police action
In Mainpuri’s Karhal police station area, a land dispute took the form of caste violence. The incident took place on August 11, when some miscreants in village Ustan tried to close the road by filling the foundation in front of a Dalit family’s house. Radha Devi Balmiki told in her complaint to the SP that when she protested, Raju, Bablu, Bunty, Avnish and Ramsevak Shakya attacked her family with bricks and stones. In this attack, her daughter Kavita suffered serious head injury. Her husband and daughter-in-law Mona were also injured. The accused abused the victim’s family using caste-related language and threatened that they would not let their family live in the village. The victim’s family alleges that the police station did not take any action on their complaint. The video of the incident is going viral on social media. When they appealed to the SP for justice, he assured them of action. The victim’s family said that they did not want any fight but theirs was the only house in the village and the Shakya community was in majority. Ashish Kumar Courtesy : Hindi News
In a historic first, Dalit granted entry into Kallahalli Gullarahatti hamlet in Karnataka: Report
Kudligi: In a notable step towards dismantling entrenched caste discrimination, a Dalit was granted entry into Kallahalli Gullarahatti hamlet in Karnataka’s Kudligi taluk for the first time since Independence, The New Indian Express reported on Tuesday. The breakthrough came after Kudligi MLA N.T. Srinivas and the taluk administration intervened when villagers recently barred a Dalit official from entering the settlement to conduct a survey. Believing that the presence of Dalits would bring misfortune, villagers had historically denied them access. Tahasildar V.K. Netravati, informed of the incident, visited the hamlet along with officials and admonished villagers for adhering to superstitious and unconstitutional practices. The settlement, located on the border and predominantly inhabited by around 130 Yadav households, eventually agreed to allow the Dalit officer entry, marking a break from decades-old exclusionary customs. Srinivas said that following such discriminatory practices, whether knowingly or otherwise, violated constitutional values. “The villagers’ decision to welcome Dalits is a progressive step in terms of development and social justice, as such discriminatory practices are detrimental to society,” TNIE quoted him as saying. Tahasildar Netravati mentioned that officials held a meeting with residents to explain constitutional provisions and the consequences of persisting with caste-based restrictions. “The villagers agreed to respect and welcome Dalit youths and groups into their community,” Tahasildar said. Apart from the ban on Dalits, the villagers reportedly force menstruating women to stay in separate hu Courtesy : Vartha Bharati Note: This news is originally published on https:/varthabharati.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Dalit Basti’s drain broken: Dirty water spread on roads in Khamaria of Saughat, people facing problems in movement
People are troubled due to broken drain in Dalit Basti of Gram Panchayat Khamaria located in Saughat of Basti district. Dirty water is spreading on roads from the drain. This is obstructing movement. Local residents Nagendra Kumar, Suchit Kumar, Mahesh Kumar, Sanyam, Sundar and Dhoop Chand said that water is not able to drain out from the broken drain. This has created a situation of waterlogging in the area. Dirty water is spreading due to this. This can cause health problems. Local people have demanded the Gram Panchayat administration to get the drain repaired. They say that their daily routine is getting affected due to this problem. A quick solution is being demanded from the administration. Arun Kumar, Gandharia Faiz Courtesy: Hindi News
VIDEO: Dalit Man Beaten For Refusing To Bonded Labour; Gurjars Set His Shanty, Cattle Shed Afire In MP’s Morena
Bonded labor allegations surface; police investigation is underway Morena (Madhya Pradesh): A Dalit man was allegedly assaulted by a member of a Gurjar community after he refused to work without wages in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena. Not only the accused beat the victim, he also set his shanties afire. The incident happened in Malbasai village under Ambah police late Monday evening and is now under police investigation. Rinku Sakhbar, a Dalit resident of the village accused Ravi Gurjar, his father Punjab Gurjar and uncle Shri Krishna alias Bunty Pehalwan, of repeatedly pressuring his family into bonded labor without wages. Rinku claimed that his family had been resisting these demands for several months. On the night of the incident, Rinku’s sister and aunt were visiting for the Raksha Bandhan festival. According to Rinku, the accused was accompanied by several others, arrived with illegal firearms (katta) and threatened him. He was also beaten him when he resisted. According to the reports, the confrontation escalated near the cattle sheds, which were set on fire. Rinku’s family said the burnt huts were primarily used for sheltering their livestock, and their destruction has caused significant distress. SDOP Ambah Ravi Bhadauria confirmed a confrontation between the Sakhbar and Gurjar families. He admitted that a fire broke out in the cattle area but clarified that how it started is still under investigation. “Police have reached the spot and action will be taken based on facts,” he said. The incident has raised concerns over caste-based violence and bonded labor practices in the region. Courtesy : TFPJ Note: This news is originally published on https:/thefreepressjournal.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
‘Fight for One Man One Vote’: Rahul Gandhi after protest near EC HQ; refuses to sign oath on ‘vote theft’ claim
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi has declined to sign a sworn declaration backing his “vote theft” allegations against the Election Commission of India, despite repeated calls from the poll body. Reiterating that the documents he cited for his “vote theft” claims came from the Election Commission’s own data, the Congress leader called it a fight for “One Man, One Vote” and questioned the state of democracy, noting that “300 MPs” were denied a meeting with the poll body. His remarks came after being released from Delhi Police detention during the INDIA bloc’s protest march to the EC office. “Why should I sign an oath? This is their data, not mine. They should take it from their own website. They are just diverting attention. And no one should think this happened only in Bengaluru; it happened in many constituencies. Today, the Election Commission is trying to hide something, but I want to tell you that one day, everything will come out,” he said. — PTI_News (@PTI_News) “See the condition of India’s democracy. 300 MPs wanted to meet the Election Commission to present a document, but they were not allowed. They are scared. What if 300 MPs come and their truth is revealed? This fight is not political anymore. This fight is for the Constitution and for One Man One Vote… We have clearly shown in Karnataka, it was Multiple Man, Multiple Vote… The entire opposition is fighting against this. It will be very difficult for the Election Commission to hide now,” he added. — ANI (@ANI) EC, on Monday, again pressed upon Gandhi to either submit a signed declaration or “apologise to the country”. Gandhi, on August 7, said internal analysis had projected 16 Lok Sabha seats for Congress in Karnataka, but the party won only nine. Investigating seven surprise defeats, he pointed to Mahadevapura, alleging “vote theft” involving 100,250 ballots. “We found 100,250 votes stolen in five different ways. Duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters in a single address, in a building with 50–60 people living. But when we go there, there is no record of those people living there. One family living in that house,” Rahul Gandhi had said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Cong’s ‘Vote Satyagraha’ to protest SIR today from Rewa
Bhopal: Following the detention of LS LOP Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and leaders of the INDIA bloc, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav during a protest march from Parliament to the office of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the state Congress here on Monday has declared launching a Vote Satyagraha from Rewa. The state Congress’ first Satyagraha protest against SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls will start on Tuesday. All Congress MLAs and LOP Umang Singhar will be present during the Vote Satyagraha protest. Briefing reporters on the Vote Satyagraha, state Congress president Jitu Patwari said that the biggest strength of the Constitution is the right of the people to vote. “This right is the foundation of democracy and with this the people choose their representatives and the govt. When this sacred right is tampered with, it is not just a political issue, but a direct attack on the Constitution of the country and its democratic structure,” Patwari said. “Today, instead of raising the voice of the people, the govt strangled democracy and arrested all the MPs,” Patwari alleged. “Today, the information that BJP wins elections by stealing votes has reached every household and the people will not sit silent now.” Patwari said. Meawhile, Congress workers burnt effigies of the EC across the state on Monday, including in Bhopal, to protest SIR of electoral rolls. The party alleged SIR will be the murder of democracy. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.