Dalits Media watch
News Updates 10.09.11
Two officials issued notice for derogatory remarks - IBN Live
2-tumbler system in a new avatar in Pollachi - IBN Live
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/2tumbler-system-in-a-new-avatar-in-pollachi/182901-60-118.html
41 held for persons including women held for communal clash in Madurai - The Times Of India
SCs, STs do not have much access to public infrastructure: report - The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article2439776.ece
IBN Live
Two officials issued notice for derogatory remarks
PTI | 09:09 PM,Sep 09,2011
Muzzafarnagar (UP), Sep 9 (PTI) Two officers of Uttar Pradesh education department were served notice by a court for allegedly making derogatory remarks against a Dalit headmaster of a primary school.Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate P N Pandey issued notice against district basic shiksha adhikari Dinesh Chouhan and his assistant Manoj Rai.The duo has also been directed to appear in court on October 4.According to prosecution, the Dalit headmaster of the school at Hathchoya village had alleged that he was beaten up and threatened by the two officials when he refused to concede to their demand of Rs 30,000 in return for his promotion.The headmaster also alleged that police had refused to register an FIR in the case.A complaint was later filed under Section 323, 504, 506 of the SC/ST Act.
IBN Live
2-tumbler system in a new avatar in Pollachi
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/2tumbler-system-in-a-new-avatar-in-pollachi/182901-60-118.html
Express News Service , The New Indian Express
Posted on Sep 10, 2011 at 10:58am IST
POLLACHI: The scenic environs of Pollachi-Coimbatore's most well-known tourist destination - may welcome outsiders with open arms, but when it comes to treating their own Dalit villagers, tea stall owners here follow the socially-abhorrent practice of the two-tumbler system.
The system, reported mostly in southern districts of TN, is prevalent in tea shops in many hamlets in Pollachi.
In many stalls, tea is served in disposable plastic cups to Dalit villagers, whereas for customers belonging to the so-called upper castes, it is served in a glass. Worse, tea shops in villages such as Guruvekoundenpalayam, Kappilipalayam and Mettuvavi, have come up with an innovative two tumbler system to deceive authorities in case of a surprise inspection.
"At the tea stalls in these villages, separate tumblers for Dalits are identified by dots marked in green or yellow at the bottom. In some cases, there is a cut mark on the top edge of the tumbler for Dalits, alleged K Marimuthu, president, Makkal Viduthalai Munnani, a local outfit which fights for the rights of Dalits.
Tea shop owners, however, are hesitant to admit that Dalit customers were discriminated against and claim that they do not have separate tumblers for the caste Hindus. But a visit to most tea stalls proved otherwise.
While elderls belonging to the oppressed sections have accepted the practice, presumably out of fear for caste Hindus, Dalit youth have begun to assert themselves against the practice.
According to K S Nagaraj, district secretary, Periyar DK, several tea shop owners at Mannur, Chedimuthur, Vadakkipalayam and Sulakkal, coming under Pollachi north union, hide the separate tumblers meant for Dalits. "They have been clandestinely serving tea in a separate tumbler for Dalits ever since we stepped up our campaign," he said.
Pollachi MLA Muthukarupannasamy, who hails from Mettuvavi, where the system is prevalent, is unwilling to acknowledge it. "I had put an end to this when I was the village's panchayat president 10 years ago. In any case, I will check if the practice continues in neighbouring villages," he said.
Marimuthu, however, said that the Revenue Department and Adi Dravidar Welfare Department should jointly take up a campaign in Pollachi's hamlets to abolish the practice.
When contacted, Pollachi Sub-Collector Arunsundar Dayalan said appropriate measures would be taken after an inquiry.
The Times Of India
41 held for persons including women held for communal clash in Madurai
TNN | Sep 10, 2011, 05.46AM IST
MADURAI: Police have arrested 41 persons, including 22 women after a clash broke out between the dalits and caste Hindus in Uthapuram village, on Friday.
The village, which hit the headlines due to the 'untouchability' wall that prevented dalits from accessing arterial streets that led to their dwellings, still continues to be sensitive due to the friction between them and caste Hindus. On Thursday, a caste Hindu woman tore apart a billboard erected to mark the memorial of dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran, leading to the clash. Police said that the situation has been brought under control now.
Moments after the caste Hindu woman damaged the billboard erected close to Muthalamman temple in the village, dalit youths gathered at the spot and condemned the woman's act. of the woman.
Immediately, caste Hindus also gathered and opposed the presence of the board, sparking tension in the village. The heated argument turned out into a quarrel and soon caste Hindus started pelting stones on the dalits, who then retaliated. A police constable was also injured in the stone pelting.
Madurai Rural SP Asra Garg rushed to the spot with striking force personnel and dispersed the clashing villagers. Though the clash was stopped, tension prevailed in the village and about 300 police personnel were deployed to prevent snowballing of the incident.
Asra Garg said that the situation is under control.
"We have provided tight security and conducting a detailed inquiry in this case," Garg said. Police have registered cases against 200 persons belonging to dalits, as well as caste Hindus and have arrested 41 of them.
Police said that a few days ago, caste Hindus attempted to erect a billboard of freedom fighter V O Chidambaram in the village to mark his birth anniversary celebrations. However, police refused permission. Similarly, the police also denied permission to dalits to put up a billboard for Immanuel Sekaran's birth anniversary. But dalits went ahead with erecting a board.
The 'wall of untouchability,' came to light in 2008 after Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF), a wing of the CPM, began a campaign to demolish the structure. Subsequently, a portion of the controversial wall built in 1990, allegedly to prevent dalits from entering caste Hindu areas at Uthapuram village, near Usilampatti in Madurai district, was razed down by the district administration on May 6, 2008.
Police said that dalits and caste Hindus were frequently clashing, particularly on the rights over Muthalamman temple. About 800 persons led by CPM leaders were arrested on February 1, when they tried to enter the Muthalamman temple where dalits were prevented entry by the caste Hindus.
The Hindu
SCs, STs do not have much access to public infrastructure: report
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article2439776.ece
Aarti Dhar
National Infrastructure Equity Audit conducted in 125 gram panchayats in five States
There is a continued prevalence of deep-rooted caste-based inequity in the contribution and availability of infrastructure and, hence, of the accessibility of services and entitlements, a report has suggested.
The Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and minorities do not have access to functional infrastructure facilities as they are 'merely situated in the general or backward classes habitations,' according to the National Infrastructure Equity Audit done by the Social Equity Watch.
The audit is a first-of-its-kind study determining the access of different social groups to public infrastructure in about 1,000 caste/religious habitations across five States. While village-level infrastructure investment has been crucial in developmental programmes, they are seldom equitably distributed. This equity audit has been done in 125 Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan.
Releasing the report here on Friday, Tom Thomas, CEO of Praxis (Institute for Participatory Practices) — the secretariat of Social Equity Watch — said there were still many SC/ST habitations which were left uncovered and people in these habitations had to travel longer distance than prescribed in official norms. The equity gap is severe in certain Gram Panchayats.
"At places where the infrastructure facilities are located in SC/ST habitations, a sizable percentage of the service providers are from the general or backward classes category. Further, most of these infrastructure facilities are in private lands or buildings," Mr. Thomas said.
The public infrastructure include, primary school, anganwadi centre, health sub-centre, drinking water, primary health centres, community centre, Panchayat Bhavan, road, Public Distribution System, post office, secondary school, telephone and information kiosk.
The rating of services by SC/ST and minorities in accessing these facilities was much lower than their backward class and general counterparts in the same habitations. The satisfaction gap was largely due to location of services in other habitation.
"From the findings, it emerges that the task ahead is to monitor the location of new infrastructure in such a way that the existing equity gap can be filled over the years. This would be crucial for scarce resources such as drinking water and certain newer infrastructure such as internet kiosks in the coming years," Mr. Thomas said.
The findings of audit will be presented before the Planning Commission as a run-up to the 12{+t}{+h} Plan. The Praxis team has also sought an appointment with the Rural Development Minister.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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