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Umh!, Whats this?

Dalit  / February  2001                                                                                                                <<<Go to index page

DSS activists demand basic amenities
Members of Karnataka- based Dalit Sangharsha Samithi, Bangalore south unit staged a dharna in front of the Town Municipal Council (TMC) of Kengeri demanding basic amenities in the locality in the City in early February. The other demands of the protesters included, construction of the proposed community hall in Mariayappana Palya, repair of Government Primary School building in Gandhinagar, asphalting of Kengeri 1st Main Road that leads to their place of residence.

Demand for share in pie 
The Madurai district administration has ordered an enquiry into the alleged practice of untouchability, including the existence of the ‘two-tumbler system’, in a cluster of villages surrounding S. Keezhapatti in Perayur taluk where conversion of Dalits to Islam has been recently reported. In a statement issued to the media today, Mr. V. Thangavelu, District Collector, warned that criminal proceedings would be initiated against those indulging in acts of untouchability. He however denied the charges that lack of basic amenities was one of the reasons that forced them to embrace Islam. He claimed that more amenities had been provided for the Dalits in the S. Keezhapatti panchayat. Out of 216 works taken up for the provision of basic amenities, 152 were meant for the Dalits, whose population stood at 801, out of a total of 1315, as per the 1991 census. Group houses were being allocated on the basis of the issue of pattas and houses would be constructed on a priority basis for the 48 remaining patta holders. Twelve houses had been provided for the Dalits in 1997- 98 and 1998-99, apart from the 52 houses sanctioned under the THADCO scheme. 

Dalit beaten in custody 
An innocent 22 year old working a cobbler in Gujarat’s Nadiad district, Mukesh Parmar was simply picked up by the local police, allegedly without cause, and beater, badly, in, custody. Parmar is alleged to have been detained in police custody for over 24 hours without any valid reason and subsequently threatened by policemen with dire consequences if he voiced his complaint before any authority. After being released by police, neighbours took Parmar to Nadiad Civil Hospital where the attending doctor discharged him within 24 hours of admission, declaring him ‘fully fit’. But Parmar can still not walk because of critical injuries on his legs. 
On January 15, Parmar registered a complaint in Nadiad court against five policemen, including inspector of Nadiad town police station R B Patel, charging them with torturing him. Following his complaint in the court of judge M D Shah, a case was registered against the five accused under Sections 330, 504, 506/2 (torture in police custody, rioting and illegal detention) of the Indian Penal Code and also under provisions of Prevention of Atrocities Act.

Three Dalits hurt in attack 
Three members of a Dalit family were injured in an attack at Shimli village of Rohtak district, about 10 km Rohtak last fortnight. The injured have been identified as Khushi Ram, Dharmender and Jitender alias Khagar. According to information available with the local media, some youths of the village had an altercation with an ‘anganwadi’ worker, Kanta, during a pulse polio drive. After some time, the youths, armed with sharp weapons, reported to be swords, attacked the house of Khushi Ram, a Dalit. Three persons were injured in the attack. Later, the matter was brought to the notice of the local Sadar police.

Dalits and private sector
Some Dalit organisations in the country began a nationwide campaign to demand reservations in the private sector organization, with a group of Dalit intellectuals, writers and representatives of several organisations submitting a memorandum to the Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Through his memorandum, they have demanded, that on the lines of the diversity department in United States of America, which ensures justice to all sections of society, particularly in private sector jobs, a diversity department should be set up in the country by the central and the state Governments to ensure that all weaker sections get their due share and adequate representation in the private sector. While appreciating that the Constitution had provided reservations to the Dalits in the elected bodies and the Government jobs, the memorandum said that they had still not got any representation or share in the private sector. They urged the Government as well as the private sector companies to come “forward” and join hands with the Dalits to ensure peace and prosperity to all. “India as a nation will remain only an idea unless we are not made partners in the wealth and institutions of India, both State owned-run and private owned-run,” the memorandum said, warning that the crisis and tensions would aggravate if the Dalits remained unrepresented. Citing example of the social tensions being created by the injustices meted out to the weaker sections and by the growing divide between haves and have nots, a representative of the organizations Mallu Ravi said that the extremist violence in Andhra Pradesh was one manifestation of it. The memorandum was signed by the representatives of Centre for Dalits Studies, Forum for Dalit Intellectuals, Human Rights Forum, Human Rights Watch, columnist Chandra Bhan Prasad and Dalit writer Kalekori Prasad.

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