‘Why Hindu, Dalit, OBC Not Covered’: Tejasvi Surya On Karnataka’s Rs 600 Crore Minority Scheme
Tejasvi Surya questions Karnataka governments Rs 600 crore plan for minority colonies, alleging religious discrimination, ghettoisation, and violation of Articles 14 and 15 Questioning the Karnataka government’s decision to approve Rs 600 crore for development of minorities’ colonies, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said, “Under which constitutional provision can public money be earmarked exclusively for “minority colonies” based on religion rather than for all poor and deprived localities based on objective socio-economic criteria?” He further went on to say, “Individuals may have a religion – but since when did roads, drains, streets, and neighbourhoods acquire a religion? On what constitutional basis is the government assigning religious identity to geographies as ‘minority colonies’ and then distributing public money accordingly? Is this not active promotion of ghettoisation on religious lines by the state?” he added. Conducted by the Election Commission of India, SIR is essentially a ground-up verification exercise to ensure that every eligible citizen is on the voter list and every ineligible or duplicate entry is removed. (Image: PTI) “How does a Rs 600 crore religion-linked package comply with Article 14 and Article 15 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and prohibit discrimination by the State on grounds of religion?” Surya questioned, adding, “If the real objective is development of backward areas, why are equally poor Hindu, Dalit, SC/ST, OBC and other underdeveloped colonies not covered under the same framework instead of creating a religion-specific scheme?” Published By : Amrit Burman Courtesy : News18 Note: This news is originally published on https:/news18.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit youth assaulted and robbed of 36,000 rupees in Unnao: Thugs hurled casteist slurs at him; police accused of inaction
A Dalit youth was assaulted and robbed in the Bangarmau police station area of Unnao. 36,000 rupees were allegedly snatched from him and he was subjected to casteist slurs. The victim has filed a police complaint. A young man, son of Mishrilal, was carrying 36,000 rupees from his village to deliver to a man named Lattu in another village. On the way, two village boys stopped him. They began abusing and beating him. One of the accused held Ajay down, while the other was beating him. The men hurled casteist slurs at Ajay and said, “We will beat you wherever we find you.” During the assault, the accused also snatched 36,000 rupees from Ajay. Ajay comes from a poor family and was using this money to redeem his mortgaged land. After the incident, Ajay informed the family members of the bullies, but they threatened him. Ajay then filed a petition at the Moradabad police station. However, two days later, no action has been taken in the matter. Ajay is also being pressured to reach a settlement. The victim, Ajay, has stated that 36,000 rupees have been snatched from him. “How can I make restitution?” Ajay demands that his 36,000 rupees be returned and that he be given a written assurance that such an incident will not happen to him in the future. The Bangarmau police station in-charge stated that the matter is under his notice and that he will investigate and take appropriate action. Keshan Kumar | Ganjmuradabad, Unnao Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit History Month | ‘They Never Wanted This Job’: How ‘Warsa Hakka’ Forces Women into Safai Karamcharis in Maharashtra
A study of 115 women sanitation workers across Mumbai, Nagpur and Kalyan documents the intersection of caste, gender, occupational health risks and institutional neglect Mumbai- Every morning, while the city is still asleep, a woman ties her hair, picks up her long-handled broom, and steps out to clean the very streets that others will walk on their way to offices. She is a safai karamchari, a government employee of the municipal corporation and yet, she is almost invisible to the very world she cleans. A research study conducted across Mumbai, Nagpur, and Kalyan has brought the stories of these women into the public domain. The study, conducted recently among 115 women employed in municipal sanitation services, found that these women aged between 19 and 46 years, simultaneously face caste discrimination, gender inequality, severe health disorders, and economic uncertainty. Titled “Intersectionality of Caste, Gender and Occupation: A Study of Safai Karamchari Women in Maharashtra,” this research has been authored by Hemangi Kadlak, Pradeep S. Salve, and Payal Karwade. Lead researcher Hemangi Kadlak has shared this study with ‘The Mooknayak’ as a special report for Dalit History Month. The study notes that the problems of safai karamcharis are among the least discussed and most neglected areas in academia. Within this gap, issues specific to women safai karamcharis remain particularly unattended, receiving less coverage than those of their male counterparts even in popular media. This study was undertaken to fill that gap by highlighting the problems women safai karamcharis face, the coping mechanisms they use, and by critically examining government policies made for them. After two months of my marriage, I joined this work; before marriage I was not into it. I married at the age of 16 years. Nobody told me to do this work, I myself started this when I was pregnant with my elder daughter. I thought gharwala should not have financial problem… Muze accha nahi lagata tha, so I started the work. — 39-year-old sweeper, Kalyan Almost three-quarters of the women surveyed entered the occupation through the Preferential Treatment (PT) case locally known as Warsa Hakka, meaning hereditary right. Under this system, a safai karamchari can nominate a wife, son, daughter, sister or other dependent to take over the post after retirement, death or permanent disability. The study found that the majority of women in Mumbai and Nagpur municipal corporations were widows recruited under this system following the death of the male safai karamchari and key earning member of the family. Direct recruitment in Mumbai municipal corporation has been closed since 1989, with current recruitment mostly based on PT. Male safai karamcharis are replaced by female workers when no male relative is available or when male members are below official working age. Among those recruited directly, caste was the decisive factor, almost all women came from Scheduled Caste backgrounds, with castes such as Rukhi, Mehtar, Valmiki, Mahar and Matang most predominant. The majority of women studied were second or third generation in this occupation. The study also found that most women entered sanitation work after marriage, as their parents had discouraged them from doing so beforehand. The researchers recorded an age of marriage below 18 years among most respondents. The researchers observed cases where female karamcharis were forced by family members to enter sanitation work under unfavourable financial conditions, and some women also stated they agreed because of the job security of a government post. My father died with the paralysis and permanent disability of lower back six years after he met with a road accident during working hours. He worked for 20 years in the municipal corporation as street sweeper… my mother continued his work and being an elder in the family, I took over the charge of family… since the past 3 years, I am working in her place as third generation sweeper. — 20-year-old woman safai karamchari, Mumbai Women safai karamcharis are vulnerable to a range of serious health conditions including chronic cough, headaches, respiratory infections, skin disease, anaemia, diarrhoea, musculoskeletal disorders and mental disorders. They also suffer from reproductive health problems and gynaecological issues. The study found musculoskeletal disorders to be particularly prevalent, attributed to the dual burden of heavy physical activity at work and daily household chores. About 88 percent of respondents at Nagpur municipal corporation and 72 percent at Mumbai reported joint or musculoskeletal pain. A high percentage of women also reported mental distress due to work burden and working schedules. Women karamcharis wake between 3 and 4 am, prepare food for their families, and begin work at 6:30 am, continuing until 2 pm without any scheduled break. This schedule results in inadequate sleep and daily health issues including headache, acidity, nausea, blood pressure fluctuations, hypertension and menstrual problems. The study observed that women do not seek treatment in the primary phase of illness unless it becomes intolerable, preferring home remedies first. Despite being entitled to medical claims as government employees, the ground observations showed that women were not provided with medical insurance in Nagpur and Kalyan. In Mumbai, women reported recently receiving medical insurance of around ₹2,50,000, and were demanding its extension to family members with coverage up to ₹5,00,000. Whatever treatment expenditure occurs, women pay out of pocket through family savings, borrowing from friends or relatives, or mortgaging household assets. In Nagpur, women reported that workplaces lacked even basic amenities such as toilets, drinking water, sitting arrangements and first-aid boxes. Women in Nagpur also reported not being provided protective gear for a long time. A similar situation was observed in Kalyan. The situation in Mumbai was found to be better, with women reporting basic facilities and protective measures at reporting places. Across all cities, women had no changing room at their reporting stations I was 40 years old when my husband (age 47) died due to alcohol addiction… When I married him, he would never touch alcohol, but over the period of years he became addicted to alcohol after being engaged in this waste collection work. Many times when he
Dalit Bride Forced Off Horse as Casteist Mob Attacks Wedding Procession with Swords, Pelt Stones in Udaipur
Udaipur- A shocking incident of caste-based violence has come to light in Hariyav village under Dabok police station area in Udaipur district. On the night of April 29, a wedding procession (Bindoli) of a Dalit family was allegedly attacked by a group of people who used casteist slurs, stopped the procession, forced the bride down from the horse, and assaulted the baraatis with stones, sticks, rods, and swords. According to the complaint filed by victim Bhairulal Meghwal, the marriage procession of his daughter, Pooja Meghwal, was passing through the main road near Dhira Talai in Hariyav around 10 PM when the incident occurred. The accused, identified as Laxman Singh, Madhu Singh, Kishan Singh, Uday Singh, Arjun Singh, Takhat Singh , Fateh Singh, Vikram Singh, and others including women from their families, allegedly blocked the procession. The attackers allegedly caught hold of Jitendra Meghwal’s turban and hurled casteist abuses, warning, “Ch%$m%r Meghwalo, do not take the procession ahead of my house, otherwise there will be bloodshed.” They then forcibly stopped the DJ, pulled the bride Pooja Meghwal down from the horse, and launched a violent attack on the wedding guests. Eyewitnesses reported that stones were pelted indiscriminately, injuring several people including women and children. Takhat Singh allegedly used a sword to attack the baraatis. In the scuffle, Mangalsutras of Manju Meghwal and Tulsi Meghwal were snatched, and a watch belonging to Jagdish Meghwal was also stolen. Several people, including Vardi Chand Meghwal, Ganesh Meghwal, Jitu Meghwal, Manju Meghwal, Lakshmibai, Hitesh Meghwal, Suresh Meghwal, and others, sustained injuries in the assault. An FIR was registered on April 30, 2026, at Dabok Police Station under Sections 189(2), 115(2), and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 including 3(1)(za)(B), 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), and 3(2)(va). The investigation has been handed over to IPS probationer Aashima Vaswani. Bhim Army Udaipur Vice President Roshan Meghwal told The Mooknayak that around 15 people, including 4-5 women, were involved in the violence. He said that immediately after the clash, police reached the spot and detained four accused under preventive sections. After the FIR was lodged the next day, statements of the victims were recorded. Roshan Meghwal further alleged that the same group had earlier created similar obstructions during another Dalit family’s wedding in the village. On Friday, a large number of Bhim Army supporters and Dalit community members gathered at Dabok police station demanding strict action. They have warned that if prompt and strict action under the SC/ST Act is not taken against all the accused, they will stage a major protest on Monday. Geetha Sunil Pillai Courtesy : The Mooknayak Note: This news is originally published on https:/themooknayak.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Plates Apart, Gods Apart: Junagadh Temple Feast Exposes Gujarat’s Caste Fault Lines
Five men walked into the Dalit community’s lane in Bhutdi village, Junagadh district, on the evening of April 27. They had an invitation to deliver —to the consecration feast of a newly built Lord Ram temple scheduled for two days hence. But the Patostav invitation came with conditions. The Dalit residents were told to arrive only after the other castes had eaten. They were to bring their own plates and bowls. Their food and water would be kept separate. And they were to stay out of the temple itself. Ajay Chatur Boricha, 25, filed a complaint at Visavadar police station the next morning. By the time the temple was consecrated on April 29, the community feast had been cancelled, five organisers were facing FIRs under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the case had acquired the attention of DySP Ravirajsinh Parmar of the Junagadh SC/ST Cell, who confirmed that statements have been recorded and notices issued to all accused under BNSS 35(3). As we file this news report, investigators are also searching for digital evidence. That a complaint was filed before any violence occurred — and that the Dalit community chose legal redress over participation on humiliating terms — marks a small but significant assertion of dignity. What happens to that complaint in the courts of Gujarat is another matter entirely. Above: The temple in Bhutdi village where Dalits were asked to bring their own plates. Picture via special arrangement by Vibes of India THE GRAMMAR OF EXCLUSION The conditions imposed on Dalits in Bhutdi — separate vessels, a later sitting, barred entry to the sanctum — are not inventions of rural backwardness. They are a grammar, fluent and consistent across the state. A Dalit manual scavenger from Ahmedabad district, whose testimony has been documented by civil society organisations, described the same logic at work in a city setting: separate tea tumblers at canteens, made to clean them yourself, barred from upper-caste water taps, sometimes forced to walk a kilometre for water. When he and his colleagues asked for their rights from the municipality, officials threatened to fire them. This sounds unbelievable but in most so called posh and high class and caste houses of Gujarat, there are two separate sets of vessels especially tea cups and drinking glasses which even the non Dalit domestic helps refuse to touch. In March last year, a Dalit man in Vadol village in Sabarkantha district was beaten, stripped naked, and paraded through the streets by dominant-caste men — his offence, allegedly entering a temple. Two Dalit men in Mandal village were assaulted by cow vigilantes for refusing to dispose of a dead animal, a task that caste hierarchy has historically pressed their community into. During Navratri, a young Dalit girl was dragged out by her hair from a garba event amid casteist abuse. A 38-year-old Dalit labourer named Shailesh Solanki was assaulted and abused with casteist slurs at a crossroads in Sabarkantha simply for declaring his intent to visit the Kal Bhairav temple in Himatnagar. As recently as February 2026, a Dalit groom’s wedding procession in Patan district was stopped at sword-point by upper-caste men who objected to his riding a horse — a ritual they considered their exclusive preserve. The video circulated widely. Elsewhere in Banaskantha, a Dalit lawyer named Mukesh Parecha wanted to arrive at his own wedding on horseback and requested police protection. A team of 145 policemen arrived in Gadalvada village to escort him. The wedding passed without incident. The spectacle of state force required for a man to exercise a social custom that others take for granted was, in itself, a statement about the distance between constitutional guarantee and ground reality. THE CONVICTION RATE THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING The Bhutdi FIR, once it travels the familiar path of Gujarat’s criminal justice machinery, will encounter a set of odds that are well documented. Between 2018 and 2021, the conviction rate in cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes in Gujarat was 3.065 per cent. Of 5,369 cases registered during that period, only 32 were proven against the accused. In 1,012 cases — including cases of murder and rape registered under the SC/ST Act — the accused were acquitted. A further 1,044 cases were settled out of court. Martin Macwan, veteran activist and founder of Navsarjan Trust, has observed that in the rare cases where conviction has been reached, it is typically because Dalit rights NGOs sustained the case — because the complainant and witnesses face social pressure and threats to withdraw. Ahmedabad city alone reported 189 cases of atrocities against Scheduled Caste persons in 2022, the highest of any district in the state, out of a state total of 1,425 registered cases. In March 2019, Gujarat’s then-minister for social justice told the assembly that crimes against Dalits had risen 32 per cent between 2013 and 2018. The national conviction rate under the Atrocities Act stands at 3-4 per cent. Advocates working in the space have pointed to a structural explanation: a prejudiced or compromised police officer at the investigation stage, or a biased judge at trial, can ensure justice is never served while simultaneously encouraging the accused to file counter-complaints against the victim. The acquittal is, in this reading, not a failure of the law but of its gatekeepers. THE PROSPERITY PARADOX Gujarat’s governance record is frequently cited as evidence that development and social order can coexist. The state’s per capita income is among the highest in the country. Its industrial corridors, port infrastructure, and export numbers are points of pride in every Budget speech. The ‘Gujarat Model’ has been exported as a national template. Against this backdrop, the persistence of caste atrocity is not incidental — it is, researchers and activists argue, structurally connected to the prosperity rather than standing apart from it. A 2014 research paper found that an increase in the consumption expenditure ratio of Scheduled Castes relative to upper castes is associated with an increase in crimes committed by the latter against the former. Dalit
Dalit student abused, beaten by teacher for failing to bring textbook
The teacher Satish “pushed” Mohit, resulting in a head injury after impact with the bench Gurugram: A 14-year-old Dalit student was allegedly assaulted and insulted with casteist slurs by a teacher at a private school in the Gurugram district of Haryana. The incident is from Joginder High School in the Sohna area. Kishanlal, a resident of Javed Colony, wrote in the police complaint that a teacher identified as Satish allegedly hit his son, Mohit, for not bringing the required Hindi textbook to class. According to Kishanlal, Satish “pushed” Mohit, resulting in a head injury after impact with the bench. He said that his son already had health conditions, which he had informed the school about earlier. “After the beating, his condition worsened,” the complaint read. The injured student was initially taken to a local hospital in Sohna. However, due to his underlying conditions, he was referred to a hospital in Gurugram. The family alleged that the teacher, Satish, used derogatory, casteist and abusive language against Mohit and accused him of humiliating their child. They demanded strict action against the teacher. The school officials told Dainik Bhaskar the matter was being “unnecessarily exaggerated.” Denying all accusations, the school operator, Tejpal Saini, insisted that no such assault had occurred inside the classrooms. “There was no beating by the teacher,” he added. Meanwhile, the police have taken statements from both the teacher and the family. Posted by Khadija Irfan Rahim Courtesy : TSD Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesiasatdaily.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Laborer assaulted in Sikriganj, case filed against 4: Case filed under serious sections including the SC/ST Act
Police have filed a case against four accused in connection with the assault on a Dalit laborer on Friday in Bheusan, also known as Bankatan, village in the Sikriganj police station area. This action was taken based on the victim’s complaint. The victim, Rampreet, filed a named complaint at the Sikriganj police station on Thursday, April 30th. He stated that he was working as a laborer at the village’s Rai Bahadur Singh Master’s house when Ramsajivan Singh (also known as Guddu Singh, also known as Harendra Singh), Manish Singh, and Durgesh Singh suddenly arrived at his door. According to Rampreet, the accused surrounded him due to an old rivalry and began beating him with sticks. They hurled casteist slurs and threatened to kill him. Rampreet was seriously injured in the assault and his belongings were damaged. The victim stated that people present at the scene rescued him. Following a preliminary investigation and medical examination of the victim, the police took action on the instructions of Sikriganj Police Station Officer Anjul Kumar Chaturvedi. The Police Station Officer stated that a case has been registered based on the complaint. Khajani Circle Officer Deepanshi Rathore will investigate this case, registered under the SC-ST Act. Ardhachandra Dhari Tripathi | Khajani Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit protesters ordered to sweep police stations as bail condition in Odisha
In a pattern activists are calling casteist, at least eight protesters from Rayagada district have been directed by courts to clean police premises as a condition of release For nearly two months after he walked out of jail, 26-year-old Kumeswar Naik had to travel 20 kilometres every morning to sweep and mop the Kashipur Police Station – the very station where he had once been detained. Naik, a Dalit grocery store owner from Kantamal village in Odisha’s Rayagada district, had spent five months in jail for protesting against a bauxite mining project by Vedanta Ltd in the Tijimali hills. When the Orissa High Court granted him bail in May 2025, it came with a condition that he was to clean the police station premises every morning between 6 am and 9 am. “Walking to the police station knowing we would have to do this insulting job, I told my heart that the cause is bigger than this mere order,” Naik told Article 14, which investigated the matter. “However, I do want to point out that the judiciary itself gave this casteist order, which makes me wonder where we stand.” His case, it turns out, is not an isolated one. Pattern of orders According to Article 14‘s investigation, at least eight such bail orders were issued between May 2025 and January 2026. One was by Justice SK Panigrahi of the Orissa High Court and seven by two judges of the Rayagada district court. Of the eight protesters who received bail under such conditions, six are Dalits and two are Adivasis. Five of the eight orders were enforced. Civil society organisations and lawyers have described the conditions as casteist, arguing they effectively compel individuals to perform labour that is historically imposed on oppressed caste communities. Such conditions exceed judicial authority because they are unrelated to the legitimate purpose of bail and instead replicate historically stigmatised caste roles. Sharanya Nair, an activist supporting the anti-mining movement, told Article 14, “The bail condition reeks of the caste prejudices of the High Court and Rayagada sessions court judges against Dalit and Adivasi communities.” “I am absolutely sure that an upper caste leader arrested in this or any similar case would never have been served this kind of bail condition,” she added. In July 2025, over 86 citizens, lawyers and activists wrote to the Supreme Court asking it to take up the matter suo motu and recall the bail conditions, describing them as “not free from the prejudice against the weaker sections of our society.” The court did not intervene, according to Nair. Mining dispute The protests stem from a bauxite mining contract awarded to Vedanta Ltd by the then Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in 2023. The project, spread over roughly 1,560 hectare in the Tijimali hills – nearly half of which is forest land – will require the displacement of two villages and over 140 families who farm the land or herd cattle in the region. Under Indian laws, including the Forest Rights Act and the Panchayati Raj Extension Act (PESA), mining in scheduled areas requires the free, prior and informed consent of gram sabhas. Villagers allege that not only was this process bypassed, but that consent records were forged, with the names of minors, deceased persons and non-residents appearing in the documents. “Consent was forged or obtained under pressure, with gram sabha meetings conducted in the presence of police or without meaningful participation from the community,” Umakant Naik, a 24-year-old Dalit farmer and activist who was arrested in 2023, told Article 14. Criminalisation of dissent Since 2023, at least 50 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, according to Nair and lawyer Mangal Murti Beuria, who represents several of the accused. The first information reports (FIR) invoke serious sections, including rioting, criminal intimidation and attempt to murder. “The Adivasis traditionally carry axes and bows for hunting and ceremonial purposes,” he told Article 14. “This is used against them by company representatives and police, who claim that villagers tried to attack them. None of it is true, but that’s how they build a criminal case to make an example of them.” The arrests have not spared women either. Naring Dei Majhi, a tribal woman in her early 50s, was the first woman arrested for participating in the protests. Her family alleges she was detained at the Rayagada district hospital, where she had gone to care for her daughter-in-law who had just given birth. She is currently facing seven criminal cases and was released in February 2026, with the same bail condition. “I will not stop fighting,” Majhi said quietly. In one family, six of seven members are facing criminal charges related to the protests. Villagers told Article 14 that the arrests have created a climate of fear, and that many have stopped travelling outside their villages for fear of detention. For Kumeswar Naik’s wife Tulanti, who was pregnant when her husband was jailed, those months were defined by anxiety and loneliness. “But we are not giving up,” she told Article 14. Courtesy : TSD Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesiasatdaily.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Five booked after dalits allege humiliation at temple event in Gujarat’s Junagadh
According to multiple people, the temple event invitation included a condition requiring them to bring their own plates and bowls if they wished to attend the meal. AHMEDABAD: Dalit residents in Bhutdi village of Visavadar, Junagadh, have alleged humiliating conditions during a temple event. Police have booked five accused under the IPC and the Atrocities Act, while the state government has ordered immediate arrests and protection for the victims. The controversy erupted during the grand consecration of an idol event of a Ramji Temple in Visavadar, where the entire village had gathered for rituals and a community feast. Organisers, who visited the Scheduled Caste locality to extend invitations, allegedly did not offer respect; instead, they delivered terms that triggered outrage. According to multiple people, the invitation came with a clause: “If you wish to attend the meal, bring your own plates and bowls from home.” The victims further claimed they were told that, “You will only be allowed to eat after others in the village have finished.” Local youth Ajay Boricha alleged, “This was not just about utensils, it was about humiliation. Separate seating, separate drinking water arrangements, everything was designed to isolate us”. Boricha described the incident as a systematic attempt to enforce caste segregation even in a temple setting. People filed formal complaints at the Visavadar police station. Local leader Umeshbhai said, “If arrests are not made immediately, we will escalate this to the Superintendent of Police. Such caste-based humiliation cannot be tolerated in independent India,” he said, invoking constitutional rights and equality. With tensions rising and public anger mounting, the police moved in, registering a case against five accused residents of Bhutdi village. The charges include multiple sections of the IPC along with stringent provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Later, the state government stepped in decisively, terming the incident not just discrimination but a case of social boycott. Orders were swiftly issued to the district administration, demanding immediate arrests and strict enforcement of the law. In a parallel move, directives were sent to the District Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Director of the Scheduled Caste Welfare Department calling for urgent action, victim protection, and a high-level, impartial investigation. “Zero tolerance will be maintained in such cases. A detailed report must be submitted immediately, and strictest action ensured,” the directive stated. Meanwhile, on the ground, police surveillance has intensified, and efforts to apprehend the accused have been accelerated. Dilip Singh Kshatriya 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
Jalaun: Dalit organizations demand beautification of Dr. Ambedkar statues, submit memorandum to CM with ground report of 134 villages
At the conclusion of Dr. Ambedkar Month in Jalaun, Dalit organizations raised their demands, submitting a memorandum to the CM for the beautification and protection of statues in 134 villages. Orai (Jalaun). Dr. Ambedkar Month, organized by the Bundelkhand Dalit Rights Forum and the Dalit Honor and Justice Center, concluded today. On this occasion, a team of social organizations reached the District Magistrate’s office and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister. This memorandum raised the important demand for surveying and beautifying Dr. Ambedkar statues installed throughout Uttar Pradesh. Dalit Honor and Justice meetings were held in more than 135 villages of the district during Ambedkar Month. The 14-member team that reached the District Magistrate’s office for the closing ceremony included Tehsil Coordinator Pradeep Kumar, Saneshraja, Usha Devi, Devendra Anil, Sachin Chaudhary, Anita, and Surendra, along with Adv. Nikhat Praveen, Adv. Ajay Singh, Adv. Kiran Mehra and other activists participated. These activists conducted a campaign to educate and raise awareness among the community throughout the month of April. During the campaign, activists conducted a group recitation of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution and compiled the problems of people in rural areas. The memorandum stated that in many villages, underprivileged families lack access to government schemes. Furthermore, problems such as the accumulation of garbage near the statues of Baba Saheb and the poor condition of drains have also become prominent. The organization has prepared a detailed status report of the statues of Dr. Ambedkar installed in 134 gram panchayats of the district. The survey revealed that in many places, the statues are in urgent need of beautification. In some villages, there is controversy over the installation of statues, while in others, illegal occupation of government and village community land allotted in Baba Saheb’s name has been discovered. High Court advocate Kuldeep Kumar Bauddh said on this occasion that true respect for Baba Saheb is possible only by following his principles. They welcomed the ₹403 crore “Dr. Ambedkar Statue Development Scheme” approved by the Chief Minister on April 7, 2026. They emphasized that this scheme must be implemented effectively at the grassroots level to ensure proper development of the statues. The memorandum primarily demanded that a district-wise survey of statues installed across the state be conducted and an official list be released. Beautification work should be completed soon by ensuring umbrellas, boundary walls, CCTV cameras, and greenery near the statues in the 134 identified villages of Jalaun district. The organizations also demanded that villagers who wish to install Dr. Ambedkar statues in their areas through the Panchayat should be granted easy permission and approval from the district administration. The memorandum clarified that the installation of new statues should be ensured with respect and administrative support. Courtesy: Hindi News