Jagan condemns attack on Dalit student at Tirupati
The YSRCP President demands that a police case be registered on the incident and action taken against the assailants Condemning the attack on a Dalit engineering student, James, at Tirupati, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said there is no safety for Dalits in the State as the ‘law and order situation has been deteriorating‘. In a post on X on Sunday, Mr. Jagan said, “The incidents show the growing attacks on Dalits and the failing Law and Order (L&O) situation in the State, which is not protecting weaker sections and those who raise their voice against injustice. Such incidents are taking place as the police machinery is biased towards the ruling party, and such incidents are happening at some place or the other in the State. It has become a practice that when a victim approaches a police station to report, a case is registered against the complainant,’‘ he said. In the Tirupati incident, it was not just the failure of the Police Department to register a case, but also political interference which prevented the police from registering a case, he said, adding, “I demand that a case be registered and action taken against those who attacked the Dait youth.” Courtesy : G V R Subba Rao G.V.R. Subba Rao, The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https://thehindu.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
A crime that revealed the ugly reality of caste
Murugesan and Kannagi, of Pudukkoorapettai near Virudhachalam, were poisoned to death. The reason: Kannagi, of the Vanniyar community, married Murugesan, a Dalit of the same village Nearly 22 years ago, S. Murugesan, 25, a Dalit youth, and Kannagi, 24, a Vanniyar girl, fell in love with each other. Murugesan was an engineering graduate from Annamalai University, Chidambaram, and Kannagi studied B. Com at the university. They got acquainted during their college days. Both hailed from Pudukkoorapettai, near Virudhachalam, in Cuddalore district. He was working in Bengaluru. Kannagi’s father Duraisamy was the president of the village panchayat and Murugesan’s father Samikannu was a farm worker, who lived on the outskirts of the village, far removed from where the Vanniyars and other caste Hindus lived. Apprehending stiff opposition to their marriage, Murugesan and Kannagi had their marriage solemnised at a temple at Manjakuppam in Cuddalore, on May 5, 2003. They also registered it. After marriage, they went home. On July 3, 2003, Duraiswamy learnt that his daughter was taken away by Murugesan while going to Chidambaram to attend the monthly seminars at the university. ‘Disrepute to family’ Duraisamy sent his son Marudhupandiyan to find out the whereabouts of his daughter. It was their idea to eliminate the couple for causing disrepute to their family and caste. Marudhupandiyan visited the house of Samikannu and asked Samikannu and his brother Ayyasamy to bring Murugesan to the village. Ayyasamy innocuously brought Murugesan from a neighbouring village. He was dragged to the village and beaten up by Duraisamy and his men in front of a temple, where about 100 people had gathered. Velmurugan, younger brother of Murugesan, recalled, “My brother was beaten up severely. They tortured him: tying up his legs with a rope, they lowered him, upside down, into a deep bore-well near the temple, asking him to disclose the whereabouts of Kannagi.” Murugesan begged for his life and said Kannagi was in the custody of his relative Saroja at Moongilthuraipattu. Then, Duraisamy’s men brought Kannagi to the village in the early hours of July 8 from Saroja’s house. She was taken to a burial ground. Murugesan was also taken there by Duraisamy and his relatives. Duraisamy went over to Kannagi and spat on her face. Then, he handed pesticide in a tumbler to his son Maruthupandian, and they made Kannagi consume it. Thereafter, Maruthupandian handed over poison to a relative of Murugesan and asked him to pour it into the mouth of Murugesan. As Murugesan resisted, they opened his mouth with a knife and poured the poison in. While Murugesan’s body was burnt near a stream, Kannagi’s body was taken to a crematorium meant for the caste Hindus. Sent away by the police On the day of occurrence, Chinnapillai, stepmother of Murugesan, went to the Virudhachalam police station, along with a few relatives. They were sent away by the police. The death of the couple was hushed up by the influential persons, but it spread by word of mouth. A Tamil weekly carried a report and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan raised the issue at a press conference. Initially, Duraisamy and his group claimed that the couple committed suicide because of irreconcilable differences. However, Samikannu and other Dalits alleged that the Vanniyars had brought Murugesan and Kannagi, by deceit and force, to Pudukkooraipettai and murdered them. It took nine days for the Virudhachalam police to register a case, on the basis of voluntary confession by Duraisamy. Inspector Sellamuthu implicated three Dalits, including Samikannu, and arrested eight men: four Vanniyars and four Dalits, including Duraisamy, Maruthupandiyan, Samikannu, and Ayyasamy. The police claimed that Duraisamy admitted that he felt ashamed of the love affair and asked Samikannu and Ayyasamy to bring the couple to the village. He gave poison to his daughter and Samikannu gave the left-over to his son. Both of them cremated the bodies. The arrest of Samikannu and the three other Dalits caused a controversy since the Dalits believed that they were, in no way, involved in the murder. Thereafter, the Dalits approached advocate P. Rathnam who, though not a Dalit by birth, championed their causes. Mr. Rathnam and a team of lawyers visited the village and prepared a report. They fought for justice until the Supreme Court delivered its verdict last month. Within 23 days of the occurrence, the Principal Sessions Judge, Cuddalore, granted bail to the arrested persons, reasoning that Duraisamy would be disqualified from the post of panchayat president if he was to be in judicial custody for more than 30 days. After being released on bail, Samikannu and the other Dalits approached the Madras High Court for a CBI investigation. Meanwhile, inspector Sellamuthu completed his probe and filed a charge sheet before the Judicial Magistrate, arraigning the four Vanniyars and four Dalits, who were arrested earlier, as the accused. Subsequently, the High Court ordered the CBI to conduct a fresh investigation. The CBI filed a charge sheet on October 14, 2005, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chengalpattu, against 15 accused, including Tamilmaran, sub-inspector, and Sellamuthu, inspector, of the Vriddhachalam police station. Though the final report was filed by the CBI in 2005, the case was committed to the Court of Session only after more than four years. The trial court framed the charges and questioned the accused persons more than seven years after the crime. The reason for this inordinate delay was the filing of petitions for discharge of the accused persons, and for cancellation of the bail of some of the accused persons for intimidating the witnesses. Death sentence awarded On September 24, 2021, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Cases, Cuddalore, acquitted Ayyasamy and Gunasekaran of all the charges. It awarded the death sentence to Marudhupandian and life imprisonment to Duraiswami and 11 others. Following appeals, a Division Bench of the High Court delivered a common judgment on April 13, 2022, and commuted the death sentence imposed on Marudhipandian. However, it confirmed the life
Mystery shrouds Dalit man death in fire
Mandya: In a shocking incident, a 43-year-old Dalit man, Jayakumar, was alleged to have been burned alive in Katteraghatta village, located in KR Pet taluk of Mandya district, on Saturday. Police said the incident occurred when a haystack owned by Anil Kumar, a resident of the same village and a member of an upper-caste family, was placed on land belonging to Jayakumar. Despite repeated requests by Jayakumar to remove the haystack, Anil Kumar allegedly refused. In her police complaint, Lakshmi, the wife of the deceased, complained against Anil Kumar. Jayakumar is alleged to have set fire to the haystack and then jumped into the flames, resulting in his death. On Friday, Jayakumar had also given a complaint to KR Pet Rural police station against Anil Kumar for allegedly not removing the haystack from his land, police stated. KR Pet Rural police have filed a murder case under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 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.
Kerala Police initiates inquiry into alleged custodial harassment of Dalit woman at Peroorkada police station
While the woman was booked under Section 306 (theft by a clerk or servant) of the BNS, it is now deemed that the accusation was false The Kerala Police have instituted an inquiry into the alleged custodial harassment of a Dalit woman at the Peroorkada police station after being falsely accused of theft. Bindu R., a domestic worker and mother of two children, was taken into custody on April 23 after a complaint was filed by her employer, alleging that she had stolen 2.5 sovereigns of gold. While she took up the job at the house in Ambalamukku on April 14, she worked only for three days until April 19 before discontinuing. She was purportedly called to the police station around 3.30 p.m. and “detained” for nearly 20 hours. During her time at the station, Ms. Bindu alleges she was subjected to inhumane treatment, including being told to drink water from the washroom when she asked for water. She claims the officers coerced her into confessing to the theft by threatening to implicate her two minor daughters, and her husband in the case. Despite a search of her residence yielding nothing, she was booked under Section 306 (theft by a clerk or servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). She also alleged that she spent the night at the police station and was denied food until the following afternoon. The accusations eventually unravelled when the complainant informed the police that the missing gold necklace had been found at their own residence. Ms. Bindu has since filed formal complaints with the Chief Minister, State Police Complaint Authority and the State SC/ST Commission. The Commission has initiated an inquiry and has instructed the Thiruvananthapuram City Police to submit a report in this regard. Seeks action against cop Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan called for strict legal action against the officers involved in the issue. He also criticised the perceived inaction of the Home department in redressing the complainant’s grievance. He further alleged that the absence of accountability in the department and the political patronage of law enforcement enables such abuse of power. He said that the conduct of the police officers amounts to gross violation of human rights and the law. Courtesy : The Hindu Bureau, The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https://thehindu.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Didn’t ask Congress for names for foreign outreach: Govt
NEW DELHI: The govt has dismissed Congress’s charge that it asked the opposition party to nominate four MPs for all-party delegations going abroad for anti-terror outreach, only to reject three of them.Leader of opposition in LS Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge were informed about the delegations only as a matter of courtesy, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said in his first formal response to Congress’s charge. In an exclusive conversation with TOI, Rijiju also said asking parties to recommend their nominees had never been the practice. “We let them know as a matter of sheer courtesy,” he said. Didn’t go by Congress’s internal dynamics: Rijiju Seven delegations of MPs are headed to different parts of the world to sensitise global opinion on Pakistan’s continuing use of terrorism. Four Congress MPs are part of the teams; Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor heads one of the delegations. Asked about Congress’s criticism of the choices from its ranks, Rijiju maintained that the govt went by who would be more suitable for the delegations’ mission. “We are surprised by the opposition to the nomination of their members like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari. The two have been essential voices from their side in any debate on foreign policy and matters related to national security. And it is not even a year since they recommended Tharoor to head the standing committee on external affairs,” the minister said. Responding to the suggestion implied in Congress’s criticism that Tharoor and Tewari were picked to taunt the party leadership, Rijiju said, “This is an insinuation. We did not go by a party’s internal dynamics and the insecurity and jealousies that come with that. We also chose Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh, their MP from Punjab. What do you have to say about those?” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had criticised the govt for settling on the names of Tharoor and Tewari at the expense of Rahul Gandhi’s recommendations. “This proves the complete insincerity of the Modi govt and shows the cheap political games it always played on national issues,” he had said. Congress believes Tharoor, formerly with the United Nations and also minister of state for external affairs, was chosen because he took a different line from the party on Operation Sindoor. His statement last week that he was proud of the operation came just when Congress had announced its plan to sharpen the charge that US President Donald Trump had brokered the ceasefire with Pakistan. When told that his views were at odds with Congress’s official line, the Thiruvananthapuram MP had said he was “speaking as a proud Indian”. Few were surprised when Rahul left him off the list that included Gaurav Gogoi, Anand Sharma, Raja Warring and Syed Naseer Hussain. The govt only accepted Sharma, former commerce minister. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya had defended the decision saying that three supporters of Hussain were arrested for shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” to celebrate his election to Rajya Sabha. Malviya had also questioned Congress’s choice of Gogoi, saying the Congress deputy leader in LS had spent 15 days in Pakistan, while his wife was involved with an NGO focused on Pakistan. 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.
Experts React To Rahul Gandhi’s Claim Of Jaishankar Admitting India ‘Informed’ Pak Before Op Sindoor
Defence experts have reacted strongly to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent post questioning the government on Operation Sindoor. Gandhi had criticized External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks that India informed Pakistan before targeting terrorist infrastructure, calling it a ‘crime.’ The MEA and PIB both had debunked Gandhi’s claims, labeling his statement a ‘misrepresentation of facts’ and accusing him of misquoting Jaishankar. 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.
‘Why does Rahul Gandhi hate those who speak for India?’ BJP slams Congress for excluding Shashi Tharoor from all-party delegation list
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday fired salvos at Congress after Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor’s name was missing from the list of MPs it handed out to the government for the all-party delegation set to be sent abroad to present India’s stance on the Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari latched on to the issue to target Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of hating his own partymen who speak for India. “So Jairam Ramesh opposes his own Congressmen Shashi Tharoor for being chosen to lead one of the Parliamentary delegation!” Bhandari wrote on X. — pradip103 (@pradip103) “Why does Rahul Gandhi hate every individual who speaks for India, even in his own party?” he added. This comes moments after the government announced the names of seven MPs including Shashi Tharoor, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sanjay Kumar Jha, and Supriya Sule among others. Following Centre’s announcement, Jairam Ramesh revealed that Rahul Gandhi proposed the names of Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, Raja Brar, and Anand Sharma from the party, which seemed to have not been taken into consideration. “Yesterday morning, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was asked to submit names of 4 MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan,” Jairam said. — Jairam_Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) “By noon yesterday, May 16th, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs giving the following names on behalf of the INC: Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, Raja Brar,” he added. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya also attacked Congress for the names it proposed and said that grand-old-party’s “choices to represent India at diplomatic meetings are not just intriguing — they are deeply questionable.” “The Congress party’s choices to represent India at diplomatic meetings are not just intriguing — they are deeply questionable. Take, for instance, the inclusion of Syed Naseer Hussain in a delegation representing India. It is truly shocking. Let’s not forget — it was his supporter who raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans inside the Vidhana Soudha while celebrating his Rajya Sabha victory. Bengaluru police arrested three individuals in connection with the incident, based on a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence, and witness testimonies,” Malviya said. — amitmalviya (@amitmalviya) “Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused Gogoi of spending 15 days in Pakistan, stating that his arrival and departure were officially recorded at the Atari border. Sarma further claimed that Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colebourn, accompanied him for the first seven days before returning to India, while Gogoi remained in Islamabad. Apparently, upon his return, Gogoi took around 90 youths to the Pakistan Embassy — many reportedly unaware of where they were being taken,” he added. ‘What happened is dishonest’ Meanwhile, Jairam accused the Centre of being dishonest after it did not agree to the named forwarded by the party. “We were asked for names. We expected that the names we had given would be included. We hoped that the names given by the party would be included. But when we saw the press release of PIB, we were surprised. I cannot say what will happen now,” Jairam said. “Asking four names, giving four names, and announcing another name is dishonest on the government’s part. It is possible that’ Mr Rijiju had talked to Rahul ji and Kharge even after the government had made up their mind, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. But what happened is dishonest. We are not going to change these four names,” he added. The delegations aim to raise global awareness about Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism and to explain the rationale behind India’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack. This is the first time that the Centre will depute MPs from multiple parties to present India’s stance on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism. An MEA official will accompany each group to assist in briefings and presentations. Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, was a direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Indian strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir reportedly eliminated over 100 terrorists. 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.
Three Bangladeshi women, including one posing as transgender, held in Delhi
Two of the accused were found using smartphones with the banned IMO app to communicate with their families in Bangladesh, police said Three Bangladeshi women residing illegally in Delhi, including one who posed as a transgender, have been apprehended from North West Delhi’s Mahendra Park, police said on Saturday. The accused have been identified as Aleena (22), Tangina Rahaman alias Deepa (22), and Suhan Khan (30), said DCP (North West) Bhisham Singh. Two of the accused were found using smartphones with the banned IMO app to communicate with their families in Bangladesh, police said. “In May, a team of the Foreigners Cell began analysing social media accounts of suspected individuals. During this exercise, it was observed that a suspected illegal Bangladeshi transgender was residing at Mahendra Park. She was allegedly disguising herself as a woman from West Bengal and had taken to selling momos from a street cart to avoid suspicion,” he added. The police identified the woman as Deepa, who was apprehended on Thursday after she posted a video reel on social media showing an ice cream cart and inadvertently revealed surrounding buildings in a lane. The officers scanned about 50 lanes to locate the area and then identified the house shown in the reel, said Singh. “During questioning, she revealed that she had been in a relationship with a man she met on Facebook. After a period of online communication, she illegally crossed the Bangladesh border and entered India. Her boyfriend received her in West Bengal and subsequently brought her to Delhi, where they started living together in a rented accommodation. Neighbours knew her as Deepa and believed her to be a native of West Bengal,” he added. She allegedly told the police that she had crossed over to India illegally through Hili and Benapole border areas in West Bengal. Following her questioning, two more Bangladeshi women were detained, said police. Both initially claimed to be Indian citizens married to local men, but their phones and personal items revealed otherwise, said police. All three have been handed over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) at RK Puram for deportation proceedings, said officers. Courtesy : TIE Note: This news is originally published on https://theindianexpress.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
B’deshi woman living as a transgender in city held for illegal border crossing
New Delhi: A woman from Bangladesh connected with a man in West Bengal on social media and they fell in love. She allegedly crossed the border illegally and they moved to northwest Delhi, where she adopted the name Deepa and began living as a transgender. Police recently received a tip about a suspected illegal immigrant in Mahendra Park. They found a reel made by the woman, which led them to her location. The woman, identified as Tangina Rahaman (22), initially claimed to be from West Bengal, but her lies were exposed, and she was detained. Her partner is being questioned, said police. Two other women, also residing in Mahendra Park and communicating with their families in Bangladesh via a banned app, were apprehended as well. They were identified as Aleena (22) and Suhan Khan (30). According to police, the foreigners cell of the northwest district, which was monitoring social media profiles of suspected people, identified Rahaman living under a false identity and selling momos from a street cart to blend in and avoid detection. Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said investigators took note of her reel showing an ice cream cart in a narrow lane, which inadvertently revealed surrounding buildings. Using this clue, the team combed through approximately 50 nearby lanes and located the exact area. A focused search led them to her house. Rahaman admitted that she had illegally crossed into West Bengal, where her partner received her before bringing her to Delhi. The couple was living in a rented accommodation and neighbours knew her only as Deepa, believing she was from West Bengal. Police detained the other two women based on further intelligence. Initially, both tried to mislead investigators by claiming Indian citizenship and stating that they lived with their husbands. However, police spotted inconsistencies in their statements and also found two smartphones on them, both containing the banned app used for communicating with people in Bangladesh. It was found that they had entered India illegally through the Hili and Benapur border areas before travelling to Delhi by train and posing as Indians ever since. Both admitted to being in live-in relationships with their respective male partners and residing in the area using assumed identities. Police are questioning one of the partners. 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.
Kerala police crack 15-year-old missing case, confirm murder of dalit woman through DNA evidence
Years of relentless efforts by Reshma’s family, including a 2021 habeas corpus plea and CBI probe demands, kept the case alive until the Crime Branch took charge in December 2024 under SP Prajeesh Thottathil Synopsis: Kerala Police have cracked a 15-year-old missing case, confirming the murder of 18-year-old Dalit woman Reshma through DNA testing of a recovered bone fragment. Reshma vanished in 2010 after traveling to Kanhangad for teacher training. Her disappearance remained unresolved for years until the arrest of a longtime suspect, bringing long-awaited answers in a case marked by delays and persistent advocacy In a major breakthrough, Kerala Police have confirmed the murder of an 18-year-old Dalit woman who went missing in 2010, following the arrest of a long-suspected perpetrator and DNA confirmation from a recovered bone fragment. Reshma, a resident of Balamthode in Kasaragod district, was last seen on 6 June, 2010, in Kanhangad city, where she had gone to pursue a teacher training course after completing her plus two studies. Her disappearance remained a mystery for over a decade, with limited progress in the investigation — until now. Case finally cracked The case was cracked after the arrest of Biju Paulose, a civil contractor from Bappunkayam in Panathur, by a special investigation team led by Crime Branch IG P Prakash. Paulose, who had been accused for years by Reshma’s family and Dalit rights groups, is now formally charged with sexual assault and murder. According to police sources, Paulose had been in a live-in relationship with Reshma since her school days, while concealing his marriage and family. Her father, MC Raman, had filed a complaint in January 2011 alleging that Paulose had lured her with false promises of a job and marriage. Initially treated as a missing person’s case, the investigation saw repeated delays and jurisdictional transfers — from Ambalathara Police to Bekal Police, and later to the Crime Branch on High Court orders. In earlier police statements, Paulose had allegedly admitted to killing Reshma and dumping her body in a river, but the lack of physical evidence had stalled legal action. Relentless efforts by Reshma’s family Years of persistence by Reshma’s family, including a habeas corpus petition filed in 2021 and demands for a CBI probe, kept the case in the spotlight. The turning point came after the Crime Branch officially took over the case in December 2024, under the leadership of Kannur SP Prajeesh Thottathil. A bone fragment recovered from an undisclosed location was sent for forensic testing — and DNA results confirmed the remains belonged to Reshma. Authorities are continuing their interrogation of Paulose and are searching for the exact site where the murder took place and the body was disposed of. A formal police statement is expected shortly. Reshma’s case, long emblematic of systemic failures and delayed justice in crimes against Dalit women, may finally see closure — thanks to relentless advocacy by her family and renewed investigative efforts (Edited by Ananya Rao with inputs from Dileep V Kumar) Courtesy : TSF Note: This news is originally published on https://thesouthfirst.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.