From: Vidya Bhushan Rawat <vbrawat@gmail.com>
Sent: Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:58:16
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Violence against Dalits in UP
Political Power- A Tool To Suppress The Marginalized
The political system in Uttar Pradesh is fast becoming hostage to different powerful identities and their agenda to usurp lands of the most marginalized communities among Dalits. Social scientists do not actually write details about how caste identities of the powerful are using their political affiliations to frighten the Dalits and make them virtually slave to these powerful social forces which are thoroughly casteist and communal in nature.
The historical district of Kushinagar, popularly known for Buddha's Maha Pari-Nirvana and his preaching in the region for over 20 years, is now known for the hunger deaths widely prevalent among Mushahar community.
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In many cases submitted by us, some action has been taken, yet the situation remains grim with not just Mushahars but other communities too. Despite public outrage and hundreds of reports, nothing has changed equations for Mushahars in this region. Some of the initiatives for their rights have been taken by many organisations yet the work for real change is fraught with great danger of retaliation from the caste forces. Any effort to bring change or organize Mushahars is met with retaliation by the caste forces.
Vibhuti Chauhan, a committed social activist for the past 40 years in the region and a man who faced bullets of the feudal castes, adds:
"Today, sadly, the most powerful backward community of the state has become worst offenders of the rights of Dalits and MBCs (most backward communities) in the region, he lamented. They have become neo-Brahmins, with constant contempt towards Dalits and marginalized."
It was a normal day on 30 July and Mushahars had planned a meeting with the district magistrate in the Tumkuhiraj Subdivison. Vibhuti Chauhan had organized them and convinced the Kushinagar districtmagistrate to listen to their grievances. The district magistrate, though not hailing from UP, but a Buddhist from Arunachal Pradesh, is considered very progressive and is known to be taking new initiatives here.
The meeting was organized during the day around 11 am and hence most of the Mushahars had gone there. In the Mushahar Tola of Lakshmipur village, there were only old men, women, children and some youngsters at their huts. It is a remote village and any journey from Gorakhpur or district headquarter is quite bumpy. It is said that the notorious Jungle Party rules the jungle Raj as most of the area has no human presence (as it was earlier owned by Tumkuhi State). The area borders with Champaran district of west Bihar and criminals frequently move around and play their caste cards too. The big rivers here merge in the Narayani River in Nepal.
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About 400 people from the village, led by the former Sarpanch, Asharfi Yadav, came in about 6-7 tractor trollies. They had different weapons like guns, rods, spears and daggers in their hands. It was 11:30 during the day. They quickly got off the tractors and started demolishing the huts. Anyone who protested and spoke anything was brutally beaten up. They did not even spare old men, and women with children. Some people fell unconscious but there was none to take them to hospital.
After demolition, Ashfari Yadav's Yadav party wiped the area and took all the belongings of the people and threw them into the nearby rivers. Mushahars and other marginalized Dalit communities live on the banks of the river most of the time. They are the first victims when the river overflows and face the fury of nature.
After the second act of throwing they beat up anyone who was in the village and threatened them with dire consequences if they tried to rebuild their huts in the location. The tragedy is that the land is about 12 Katta which is not even half an acre in which 18 Mushahar families were living for years. Asharfi Yadav claims that this land belongs to him and that these Mushahars have no right to be there. It came to light that Asharfi Yadav fraudulently got that land registered in his name last year. The Mushahars came to know about this and were protesting against the fraud.
Asharfi Yadav is known for his ruthlessness towards Mushahars. The people do not get money for Indira Awas but some bricks supplied by Asharfi and his cohorts. None of the Mushahars here were able to get the NREGA card. Widow pension, old-aged pension and pension for disabled, in effect, never reach Mushahars. Though he is the former Pradhan yet most of the people feel he is the Pradhan (head sarpanch) of the village.
Actually, last time, this seat got reserved for Scheduled Castes and that created problems for Asharfi. To retain their hold, Asharfi used his halwahak (ploughboy), Kedar, a Dalit from Chamar community for the purpose. He got Kedar contest the elections and got him elected through his community votes. Everyone knows how people vote to caste affiliations in the village elections. Today, Kedar is nothing, as all the decisions are taken by Asharfi and Kedar has to sign on the dotted line. Kedar is totally a landless person and his younger brother plies rikshaw in the nearby town.
Six people were brutally hurt in the Yadav Party attack and all of them are still recuperating in the district hospital of Padrauna which is about 30 kilometer from the area. It is a very difficult track to move in, replete with lush green paddy and sugarcane fields.
· Bakau (60) was beaten with butt of a gun. A man came to him (holding the gun) and then started hitting from the shrapnel on his head. Also, they were abusing in filthiest language. He fell unconscious. His hand too was fractured and is now plastered.
· Phuleswari Devi (40) was attacked with lathis and rods. Her back has severe pain and so has her inner thigh which has not recovered even after 25 days.
· Raja Ram (60) was talking to other people when he was surrounded and beaten mercilessly with rods. He is also in the hospital and recouping. He says if he had land, the situation would not have turned that bad.
· Nirmala, then a mother of 15-days-old child, was beaten up and dragged from her hut when she was feeding her baby. Another newly married woman was beaten up and both these women are in the hospital at the moment.
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Some people were arrested, while 30 of who have been named in the FIR are absconding. The administration has not been able to instill confidence among the people. The initial help was given in the form of a plastic tent and common kitchen but a visit to the village shows how difficult is the situation at the flooded and wet ground – people cannot even sleep on the floor. Children and older people have difficult time.
How long will the community kitchen help them? No financial help has been provided to these people. No efforts have been made so far to rehabilitate them at any place. People want to live there as they have been living there for centuries. Some of them informed me that they were there since 1923 during the period of Tumkuhi estate.
It is important that the people be immediately rehabilitated on the land and given legal entitlement. Mushahars are landless and this area has thousands of acres of vacant land, declared surplus under Ceiling laws. These lands are usurped by powerful people and the state has remained mute.
The poor MBCs and MBDs (most backward dalits) have remained outside the domain of government policies. The biggest irony is that many people have their land entitlement, yet they have not been able to establish their possession over their legal land. The administration has never been helpful to them and most of the time connives with powerful caste groups.
In democracy, we do not talk only about majority view point but minority view point too. How can there be a healthy democracy when we have no respect and representations for a minority caste group? It would be rare to find a Mushahar Sarpanch in the state. Even among the Dalits, they remained most marginalized and isolated as their numbers do not matter to alter powerful power equations.
In the politics where "jiski jitni sankhya bhaari, uskee utnee sajhedari" (communities with larger numbers get bigger share in the power pie), castes like Mushahars, Bansfors, Natts, Gaunds, Turahas, Doms, have no political representations and their voices are unheard in Panchayats. Most of them do not get access to government policies and hence are prone to violence if they do not perform their traditional duties.
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It is sad that the atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh is being vitiated and Dalits are feeling insecure in it. Though law and order is state subject, yet the Centre cannot remain mute if there are cases of caste violence against Dalits in the state.
The UP government would do well to focus on its work and rein in the Goonda element of any variety and get out of being in the Mayawati syndrome all the time. The state administration should act immediately and book the culprits under the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act; they must provide relief to Mushahars in the form of legal entitlement of the land they have been living on and help them access their agricultural land.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Visit my blog at
www.manukhsi.blogspot.com
For information on the issues, movements and priorities of Scavenger community in India please log on to
www.swachchakar.blogspot.com
For information on civil society initiatives on Muslims in UP please log on to
www.rehnumaa.blogspot.com
For Social action, land rights, right to food and hunger issues support Social Development Foundation at www.thesdf.org
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