Thugs Illegally Occupy Ancestral Home in Lucknow: Locks Broken; Casteist Slurs and Death Threats Issued Upon Protest
A case of forceful occupation of an individual’s ancestral home has come to light in Sarosa Bharosa village, located within the jurisdiction of the Para Police Station in Lucknow. It is alleged that the named accused individuals broke the locks of the house and took possession of the property. When the victim protested against this act, he was also threatened with death. According to reports, Rinku Kumar—son of Bhairav Prasad and a resident of Purana Tikaitganj, Lucknow—owns a plot measuring approximately 1,400 square feet (Gata No. 1333) in Sarosa Bharosa village, where he had constructed a house. Due to family reasons, Rinku had locked up his home and moved to his ancestral village some time ago. The victim, Rinku Kumar, alleges that upon returning to his property, he found the house locks broken. Several individuals were found residing inside illegally. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Sanjay Singh and Saddam Ghazi—both from the local area—along with 8 to 10 unidentified accomplices, had collectively and forcefully occupied the house. ‘Thugs Used Casteist Slurs’ According to Rinku Kumar, when he asked the accused to vacate the premises, they became aggressive. It is alleged that the thugs hurled casteist slurs and abuses at him, and openly threatened to kill him. The victim further stated that the accused boasted about having carried out similar illegal occupations in the past, claiming that no one could touch them or hold them accountable. Upon receiving information regarding the incident, the Para Police initiated immediate action. An investigation into the matter is currently underway, based on the written complaint filed by the victim. Under the directives of the Station House Officer (SHO), the process of registering a First Information Report (FIR) is in progress, and relevant evidence is being gathered. Police officials have stated that, given the gravity of the matter, strict action will be taken against the culprits. They further emphasized that any attempt to undermine law and order will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Shivanshu Kumar Gupta Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit Family Attacked in Badlapur: Incident Stems from Land Dispute; Case Registered Against 7 Individuals
An incident involving an attack on a Dalit family and the use of caste-based slurs over a land dispute has come to light within the jurisdiction of the Badlapur Kotwali police station. Acting on a complaint filed by Jiyalal—son of Khaderu and a resident of Bhatehra village—the police have registered a case against seven named individuals and several unidentified persons. In his complaint, Jiyalal stated that a parcel of land (Plot No. 55/0.117) located in Jagatpur (Kamalpur) village is officially recorded in the land records (Khatoni) under his wife, Shyam Dulari’s, name. The partition of this specific land had already been finalized by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s (SDM) court under Section 176 of the relevant laws. According to the victim, several villagers—including Siddhinath Tiwari, Arvind Tiwari, Dheeraj, Ashish Tiwari, Lalsahab, Dinesh Tiwari, and Ganesh Tiwari—were attempting to forcibly install a handpump on this very land that had been subject to partition. When Jiyalal objected to their actions, the accused individuals verbally abused him using casteist slurs and chased him away while issuing death threats. Jiyalal managed to escape the scene and reach the Badlapur police station, where he reported the incident. Given the gravity of the matter, the Badlapur Kotwali police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the seven named individuals and the unidentified persons under various sections of the law, including the SC/ST Act. Inspector-in-Charge Shesh Kumar Shukla confirmed that a case has been registered regarding this incident and that an investigation has been initiated. He gave assurances that strict legal action would be taken against the culprits. Bipul Kumar Singh Courtesy: Hindi News
Reinventing Kanshi Ram
How the Dalit icon’s radical politics is being softened ON MARCH 15, India’s political class performed a familiar ritual of remembrance, except that this time it carried an unmistakable edge of competition. Across party lines, leaders queued up, on social media and at memorials, to pay tribute to Kanshi Ram, the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one of the most consequential mobilisers of Dalit political consciousness in post-Independence India. Describing him as a symbol of “empowerment and hope”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the government to confer the Bharat Ratna on him. Two days earlier at a public meeting in Lucknow, Gandhi also said that had Jawaharlal Nehru been alive, Kanshi Ram would have become a Congress chief minister. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a message on X, described the BSP founder as a “pioneer of social justice” who “dedicated his entire life to the upliftment of the Dalits, the exploited, and the deprived”, offering his “humble tributes” to the Dalit icon. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav called Kanshi Ram a “hero of social change” and highlighted how he “secured a dignified place for the Bahujans within Indian society”, while also reiterating the need to carry forward the struggle for social justice envisioned by him and BR Ambedkar. BSP chief Mayawati paid homage to her mentor but also used the occasion to attack other parties for what she described as selective remembrance. She said that tributes to Kanshi Ram had become an “opportunistic fashion”, accusing parties like SP and Congress of invoking his legacy only for electoral gain. “It is due to Congress’ anti-Dalit mindset and mentality that BSP had to be created in the fit place,” she said. With crucial state elections on the horizon, not least in Uttar Pradesh, invoking Kanshi Ram has become as much a gesture of reverence as a signal of intent. His project of consolidating Dalit assertion, once seen as disruptive to established political hierarchies, is now claimed by parties that once stood in opposition to it. As a result, in this choreography of commemoration, the line between homage and appropriation keeps on blurring. The scramble carries an added urgency as every major party begins recalibrating its Dalit outreach. As the Dalit vote remained decisive in a fragmented electoral landscape, Kanshi Ram offered a potent symbol. For decades, he represented a distinct strand of political thought: organisational pragmatism, sharp anti-upper-caste rhetoric, and the creation of BSP, designed to convert the numerical strength of the “Bahujan” into power. Unlike Ambedkar, whose legacy now carries near-universal reverence, Kanshi Ram was once a more polarising and openly confrontational political figure. The “Ambedkarisation” allows parties across the spectrum to appropriate the BSP founder without inheriting the radicalism of his original project. What this produces is a subtle but consequential reframing—Kanshi Ram is no longer invoked primarily as a disruptor of caste hierarchies, but as a precursor to a more consensual, development-inflected politics of inclusion. His sharper edges, like his critique of entrenched social power, his insistence on independent Dalit political assertion, and his scepticism of upper-caste-led parties, are softened or omitted altogether. In their place emerges a curated Kanshi Ram: a social reformer rather than a political insurgent, a figure who can be seamlessly inserted into broader narratives of welfare, governance, and national progress. It is a process not unlike the earlier ‘sanitisation’ of Ambedkar, whose radicalism was gradually subsumed within a consensual national canon. This transformation also reflects the changing incentives of electoral competition. As Dalit voters become more mobile and less tethered to a single party, their symbolic capital has expanded. Political actors are therefore less interested in replicating Kanshi Ram’s autonomous model of mobilisation, which required long-term cadre-building and ideological discipline, and more in selectively borrowing from it features like the language of dignity, the invocation of representation, and the optics of outreach. The result is a shift from structural challenge to rhetorical accommodation. For example, for BJP, it means including Kanshi Ram in a calendar of Dalit icons. For SP, it entails celebrating March 15 as “Bahujan Divas” in all districts of Uttar Pradesh. With Dalit vote expected to play a decisive role in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections, the question is no longer who follows Kanshi Ram’s politics, but who gets to redefine it. In that contest, memory itself becomes a site of negotiation; it is a negotiation shaped not by fidelity to his methods, but by the strategic needs of the present. When Kanshi Ram began organising government employees in the 1970s, he was not seeking moral recognition but building the infrastructure of power. Born in 1934 in a Ramdasia Sikh family in Punjab, he worked briefly as a government scientist before turning to activism after encountering the writings of Ambedkar. But while Ambedkar had emphasised social reform and constitutional rights, Kanshi Ram was preoccupied with electoral arithmetic. He founded organisations with names that sounded like molotov cocktails: the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF), and later, the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti, or DS-4. Their purpose was clear: mobilise the oppressed majority—Dalits, Other Backward Classes and minorities—against what Kanshi Ram called the domination of the “15 per cent”, shorthand for upper castes. His most famous formulation captured the spirit of the project: “Jiski jitni sankhya bhaari, uski utni hissedari”, or, in other words, representation proportional to population. Democracy, he believed, was fundamentally a numbers game, in which the Bahujan, if it voted in unison, could rule. In 1984, he founded BSP, the vehicle that would convert this theory into power. The party’s early years were marked by sharp rhetoric and relentless grassroots mobilisation. Kanshi Ram travelled ceaselessly across North India, addressing small gatherings in dusty villages and industrial suburbs. His speeches were unsparing. He mocked Congress for co-opting Dalit leaders and accused upper castes of monopolising the state. For supporters, he was a revolutionary organiser, while for critics, he remained a divisive populist. More than four decades ago, when Netrapal Singh
85-Year-Old Dalit Woman Alleges Crores Worth Land Grab in UP’s Mainpuri, Claims Fraud and Coercion
An 85-year-old Dalit woman in Mainpuri alleges her land worth crores was fraudulently transferred, claiming she was coerced into signing blank documents An 85-year-old Dalit woman has accused several individuals of fraudulently transferring her land worth crores in the Kurawali area of Mainpuri.Education news updates The victim, Resham Devi, has submitted a formal complaint to the District Magistrate, demanding strict action against the accused and cancellation of the alleged forged land documents. Allegations of Conspiracy and Coercion In her complaint, Resham Devi alleged that multiple individuals, including Ganesh Yadav, Raghunandan, Shailendra Kumar Yadav, Ajay Kumar, Vishal Diwakar, Ravi Gupta and Deepak Pal, conspired to cheat her. She claimed that the accused first contacted her and warned that her land was at risk, and told her that certain legal formalities were needed to “protect” it. “When I reached Kurawali, they took me in a car to Mainpuri and made me sit there for a long time,” she alleged. “I was not told anything clearly, but they kept asking me to put my thumb impression on papers.” Thumb Impressions Taken on Blank Papers According to the complaint, two of the accused got down from the car during the journey and later returned, after which they allegedly took Resham Devi to an office. There, she was made to put her thumb impression on multiple documents without being informed about their contents. “I was not told what those papers were. They just kept taking my thumb impressions,” she said. She further alleged that she was threatened with serious consequences if she spoke about the incident to anyone. Land Transferred Without Consent The alleged fraud came to light when the family later examined official documents. They discovered that the entire land under Gata number 299 in Mauza Sujarai Dehat had been transferred to Vishal Diwakar on March 9, 2026. Resham Devi has stated that she never agreed to sell the land and did not receive any payment for it. “I have not sold my land. I did not get any money. This has been done fraudulently,” she said. Suspicious Financial Transaction The documents also mention a cheque of Rs 5 lakh dated June 10, 2025, shown as part of an agreement. However, a bank inquiry reportedly revealed that the amount had already been withdrawn, raising further suspicion about the transaction. Family Alleges Caste Abuse and Threats The victim’s family has also alleged intimidation and caste-based abuse. According to them, when her son contacted one of the accused, he was abused using caste slurs and threatened with death. “They said they would kill the entire family if we pursued the matter,” the family alleged. Police Begin Investigation Following the complaint, local police have taken note of the matter. Lalit Bhati, Station House Officer of Kurawali police station, confirmed that an investigation is underway. “The complaint has been received. The matter is being investigated, and appropriate action will be taken based on findings,” he said. 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
Thakur, Dalit, Brahmin: Uttarakhand CM’s new Cabinet balances caste, regions
The Dhami Cabinet is now at its full strength, with 12 members. Inducting new faces into the Cabinet highlights the BJP’s strategy of balancing social and regional equations in the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expanded his Cabinet, inducting five new faces. The Dhami Cabinet is now at its full strength, with 12 members. Inducting new faces into the Cabinet highlights the BJP’s strategy of balancing social and regional equations in the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. While two ministers belong to the Thakur community, the newly-expanded Cabinet has one member each from the Dalit, Brahmin and Punjabi communities. The Garhwal region and the plains are represented by two ministers each, while the Kumaon region has a lone representative. Khajan Das hails from the Dalit community and has previously served as a minister. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the senior BJP leader won his seat by a margin of 11,163 votes. His political journey began in 2007 when he was elected from Dhanaulti. Bharat Singh Chaudhary, MLA, Rudraprayag Bharat Chaudhary (66) belongs to the Thakur community. Chaudhary is known for his strong command over Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. Before joining the BJP, he unsuccessfully contested the 2012 Assembly elections as an Independent. Ram Singh Kaida, MLA, Bhimtal (Nainital) Ram Singh Kaida, who began his political career with the Congress, contested the 2017 Assembly election as an Independent and won. Later, he gravitated toward the BJP and formally joined the party in 2021. Madan Kaushik, MLA, Haridwar Madan Kaushik is a five-time MLA. A former president of the BJP state unit, he has held various portfolios in previous state governments. Hailing from the Brahmin community, Kaushik commands a strong support base in the Haridwar region. Pradeep Batra, MLA, Roorkee A businessman with interests in hotels, retail and other sectors, Pradeep Batra is a third-term MLA from Roorkee. Batra, who won the 2012 Assembly election on a Congress ticket, joined the BJP prior to the 2022 polls. Ankit Sharma Courtesy : India Today Note: This news is originally published on https:/indiatoday.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Physics Wallah Teacher’s Shameful Casteist Remark: “It would be difficult if I looked like a ‘thief-Ch***r’…”
Community Outraged After Clip Goes Viral New Delhi—A video is rapidly going viral on social media, alleging that a teacher at Physics Wallah (PW) made derogatory casteist remarks against the Dalit community. In the video, the teacher is heard telling students, “It is a big deal that I bear some resemblance to Ravi Kishan; if I looked like a ‘thief-Ch***r,’ it would be difficult—at least now you will look at me…” During this exchange, he used offensive language, which is being perceived as an insult to the Dalit community. Physics Wallah (PW) is a popular Indian educational platform founded by Alakh Pandey, offering affordable online classes, live sessions, video lectures, study notes, and mock tests for students in grades 6–12, as well as for JEE, NEET, and other competitive examinations. Available on the Google Play Store, the platform assists students in their learning journey through interactive tools and doubt-clearing sessions. The incident reportedly involves a colleague of Alakh Pandey. Sharing the video, the ‘Dalit Voice’ account posted: “A teacher insulted the hardworking community in the classroom, going so far as to use the casteist slur ‘thief-Ch***r.’ This exposes the deep-seated prejudice present among such individuals.” Following the viral video, social media users have expressed massive outrage. Many users have demanded immediate and strict action from Physics Wallah and Alakh Pandey. One user wrote, “If a teacher is making casteist remarks, what can we expect from others? @PhysicswallahAP, please take strict action, Sir.” Other users described the incident as “regressive” and “shameful,” accusing the teacher of harboring prejudice against the community. Some users have identified the teacher as “Rishi Jain, Economics teacher (Hindi medium) at PW”; however, no official statement has been issued by Physics Wallah regarding the matter yet. As of now, there has been no news regarding the suspension or termination of the teacher. Physics Wallah has not issued any response or update regarding this matter. This incident comes at a time when protests are underway across the country concerning the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. In January 2026, the Supreme Court stayed these regulations, terming them “too sweeping” and “vague.” The Court had scheduled a hearing for March 19, but the hearing could not take place. The next hearing is expected to be held next week. Meanwhile, Dalit organizations and student groups are demanding the implementation of these regulations, while students from the General Category have opposed them. Linking this controversy involving Physics Wallah to the dispute over the UGC equity regulations, many users have asserted that casteism still persists in educational institutions and that strict laws are needed. Geetha Sunil Pillai Courtesy: Hindi News
Muthukur Dalit Farmers Receive Revised Compensation
Somireddy said the revision reflects the government’s commitment to protecting farmers’ interests Nellore: In a major relief, 14 Dalit farmers from Eepuru-Mittapalem in Muthukur mandal were each given compensation cheques of ₹26.95 lakh on the occasion of Ugadi. The farmers had lost about 33 acres of assigned land, which was sold through APIIC to a private firm in 2022 at ₹9 lakh per acre, totaling ₹2.97 crore. Each farmer owned roughly 77 cents. Following their representations, Sarvepalli MLA Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy took up the issue, pressing for compensation in line with market rates. Officials subsequently revised the value to ₹42 lakh per acre, including service charges and compensation for trees and structures After deductions, the final amount was fixed at ₹35 lakh per acre, translating to ₹26.95 lakh per farmer. The MLA also directed officials to ensure that an additional ₹2 lakh paid by the company towards trees and structures is fully disbursed to the beneficiaries. The cheques were distributed at a programme in Vedayapalem, attended by Inland Waterways Authority Chairman Dr Z. Siva Prasad and local leaders. Somireddy said the revision reflects the government’s commitment to protecting farmers’ interests. Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle Note: This news is originally published on https:/deccanchronicle.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Madhya Pradesh: Alleged Attack on Dalit Family in Neemuch; Hospital Protest; Demand for Suicide Permission if Justice Denied
A grave incident has come to light in the Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, where a Dalit family has raised its voice against caste-based violence and alleged police negligence. The family members, injured in the attack, staged a protest right inside the district hospital, demanding justice and warning that if their grievances were not addressed, they would seek permission to commit mass suicide. The incident originated on February 26 in Dasia village, stemming from a dispute over a chickpea crop. The victim, Premchand Mogia, alleged that certain villagers assaulted his daughter and subjected her to casteist slurs. The family claims that when they attempted to file a police complaint, there was a delay in registering the FIR, compelling them to seek recourse through the Chief Minister’s Helpline. According to the victimized family, following their complaint, the accused launched a second attack on March 15, leaving Premchand, his wife, and their daughter critically injured. Currently, all three are undergoing treatment at the district hospital, where they staged a protest holding placards. These placards bore slogans such as “Stop atrocities against Dalits” and “Give us justice or let us die.” The family has accused the police of shielding the perpetrators and failing to initially invoke the relevant sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Conversely, police officials have refuted these allegations, stating that a proper FIR was registered following the attack and that the necessary legal sections have since been added. The victimized family has appealed to the State Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, demanding an impartial investigation, protection, and strict punitive action against the culprits. The family asserts that they have lost faith in the system and now look solely to justice as their only hope. Courtesy : Hindi News
SC status sought for Dalit Christians in A.P.
Dalit Christians continue to face untouchability, social exclusion and economic backwardness, says former DGP Purnachandra Rao Addressing the media, former DGP J. Purnachandra Rao alleged that successive governments headed by Chief Ministers from dominant communities, including Kamma and Reddy leadership, for decades had not made adequate efforts to secure a favourable decision from the Centre. Despite having political influence at the national level, the issue was not accorded a priority, he alleged. Pointing to the implementation of the reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), he said political leadership had acted with speed and coordination to extend benefits to the dominant communities, while the long-pending demand of Dalit Christians had not received with similar urgency. “If governments could move swiftly to ensure EWS reservations for the Kammas and Reddies, why has there been no comparable effort to secure SC status for Dalit Christians for over seven decades?” he asked. Mr. Rao said that Dalit Christians continued to face untouchability, social exclusion and economic backwardness, but were denied SC status solely on the basis of religion. He argued that this amounted to ‘discrimination’ and called for corrective action in line with constitutional principles. Former IAS officer Samuel Anand Kumar, CCC president Ashok Kumar and others demanded the repeal of Paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the granting of SC status to Dalit Christians. Later, the leasders submitted a representation addressed to the President of India to the NTR district Collector. The Hindu Bureau Courtesy : The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehindu.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit collective hits out at Congress over denied tickets; alleges RSS-NSS pressure in candidate selection
Speaking to media in Kottayam on Thursday, Dalit Samudaya Munnani leaders alleged that Congress denied the candidature for Sunny under the pressure from the RSS and NSS. KOTTAYAM: Amid ongoing challenges over the candidate selection for the assembly elections, the Congress encountered another jolt after dalit collective came out against it for reneging promised candidatures for dalit activist Sunny M Kapikad and tribal leader C K Janu. Speaking to media in Kottayam on Thursday, Dalit Samudaya Munnani leaders alleged that Congress denied the candidature for Sunny under the pressure from the RSS and NSS. They also warned that Congress’ decision to abandon the inclusive politics put forward by national leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at the Raipur plenum will lead to a change in the political climate, which was favourable to the UDF. “RSS-Sangh Parivar leaders such as R V Babu and Sasikala were the first to oppose Sunny’s candidacy. It is evident that some Congress leaders were reluctant to challenge the RSS’s stance. The influence and pressure from the NSS on key Congress leaders in candidate selection highlight the oligarchic tendencies within the party,” said P A Prasad, organisation’s state general secretary. 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