Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 09.08.13
Manual scavengers want life of dignity, security- The Hindu
HR-RAPE- The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/hrrape/article5005314.ece
Torture of minor Dalit girl: NHRC serves notice on Bihar police –- ZEE News
Dalit Muslims want benefit of reservation- The Times Of India
Azam wants NSA invoked against Dalit scholar- The Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/azam-wants-nsa-invoked-against-dalit-scholar/1153190/
Panel raises doubts over Ilavarasan suicide theory- The New Indian Express
Kin boycott Ilavarasan panel- The Asian Age
http://www.asianage.com/india/kin-boycott-ilavarasan-panel-824
College flouts SC/ST rules, decides to refund extra fee- DNA
Bill to prevent SC/ST Commission chief's disqualification- Business Standard
NOTE : Please find attachment for HINDI NEWS UPDATE (PDF)
The Hindu
Manual scavengers want life of dignity, security
Moni will never forget July 13, the last day she spent with her father Ashok. The following noon he went inside a drain sewer in the basement of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi and did not return.
Hit by the poisonous rush of gases, Ashok and two of his colleagues died on the spot. Till date there has not been any official explanation as to how the three were engaged for the job after the Delhi Government banned manual scavenging in February 2013. There was no explanation either as to why in violation of several court orders, no safety gear, including gas masks, were provided to them.
But many campaigners for rehabilitation of manual scavengers believe that it was not just asphyxia that ended the life of Ashok and his two colleagues. National convener of Safai Karmchari Andolan (SKA) Bejwada Wilson said: "The culprit was the utter and contemptuous failure of the State and Central government to heed to the High Court and Supreme Court orders and their failure to implement the ban on manual scavenging by passing and implementing the comprehensive legislation on the issue – the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill 2012 – currently pending with Parliament."
To demand rehabilitation and immediate passage of the pending Bill, hundreds of manual scavengers from across the country burnt their baskets at Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday. Moni, a Class IX student, explained why she travelled from her Trilokpuri house to Jantar Mantar. "I do not want another child to lose her father due to manual scavenging. I only know how much I miss my dad. It is very hard for us without him," she said with moist but determined eyes. Mr. Wilson also said that at present the rehabilitation of scavengers was being done in a "slow and tardy manner without any conviction and commitment".
The manual scavengers demanded an apology from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on behalf of the nation for all the "indignities that safai karamcharis have suffered due to the failure of the State to rehabilitate them". Among other things, SKA demanded that the compensation for sewage workers, who have lost their lives while cleaning the sewers, should be enhanced to Rs.10 lakh and at least one member of their family should be employed by the government.
The Hindu
HR-RAPE
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/hrrape/article5005314.ece
22-YEAR-OLD DALIT GIRL ABDUCTED, RAPED
A 22-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a youth, who abducted her on the pretext of marriage and held her captive at a relative's house for over a month, the police said on Thursday.
Accused Pawan Kumar (23) of Maseet village has been booked on charges of kidnapping, rape, wrongful confinement, administering sedatives and criminal intimidation on a complaint filed by the victim, who is a resident of Gindokhar village, they said. According to the police, the victim was abducted on July 5, as per a complaint filed by her family members. —PTI
ZEE News
Torture of minor Dalit girl: NHRC serves notice on Bihar police –
New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices to two senior officers of Bihar police over the alleged torture of a minor Dalit girl by some persons in the presence of police personnel.
According to an NHRC statement issued today, the rights panel has issued notices to the Director General of Police, Bihar and Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna calling for reports within four weeks into the allegations that a minor Dalit girl was subjected to torture in the presence of police personnel on July 31.
The notices were issued after the rights panel took suo motu cognisance of a media report which said that the girl was picked up by the police to search her brother, who was absconding with a girl of other caste.
The mother and brother of the absconding girl were also in the police vehicle, which drove throughout the night.
The brother of the absconding girl, allegedly bribed the police by giving them Rs 10,000 and two bottles of alcohol.
Thereafter, he allegedly tore off the clothes of the Dalit girl and inflicted injuries on her hands and legs with burning cigarette and also threatened her.
The police party merely kept on laughing while all this was going on.
Later, the Dalit girl approached the SSP, Patna and subsequently, an FIR was filed against the absconding girl's family members, but no action has been taken against the police officials, who were party to the alleged incident of the atrocity, the statement said.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the Dalit girl.
NHRC has also asked the Director General of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Bihar as to what legal and disciplinary action has been taken against the errant police officials for illegally detaining the victim in police custody and neglect of duties.
PTI –
The Times Of India
Dalit Muslims want benefit of reservation
LUCKNOW: An association of dalit muslims will be observing August 10 as Black Day to protest against para (3) of Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 which was promulgated on 10 th August 1950 by government of India.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of different NGOs working for the upliftment of pasmanda muslims here on Thursday. Rehan Ansari, general secretary of the association for muslim dalits, stated that c tizens have been called upon to wear black bands and black badges to register their protest against the continuing discrimination faced by Muslim and Christian dalits since 10 th August 1950 in the matter of reservation in educational institutions, government jobs and election to parliament, legislative assemblies andPanchayati Raj system and so on.
"It is worth nothing that the reservation facility has been made admissible to only Hindu, Sikh and Neo Buddhist Scheduled Castes which excludes Muslim and Christian dalits. This is a fact that Muslim and Christian Dalits such as Dhobis, Nuts and sweepers etc exist among Muslims and Christians also. T his questionable para (3) is based on communal considerations as it encourages Muslim and Christian Dalits to convert to Hinduism, while it restrains Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist Dalits from converting to Islam and Christianity," he stated.
Ansari further added, "Para 3 entails that if a Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist dalits converts to Islam and Christianity, his / her reservation facility would be stopped. But if a Muslim and Christian dalit converts to Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist faith, such a person would immediately become eligible for the reservation. This is a gross violation of Article 14, 15, 16, 21 and 25 of Indian Constitution and the Preamble of Indian Constitution which declares the country as a secular state."
The organizations also called upon the voters to support only such candidates in elections who were willing to openly stand up for the abolition of religious discrimination perpetrated under para 3 of the above Order against Muslim and Christian dalit. In the eventuality of eid falling on 10 August, Black Day should be observed on 11 August. It has been also decided to stage a protest dharna on 11 of August at statue of Mahatma Ghandhi in Lucknow at 11am.
The Indian Express
Azam wants NSA invoked against Dalit scholar
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/azam-wants-nsa-invoked-against-dalit-scholar/1153190/
Two days after Dalit scholar Kamal Bharti was arrested and released on bail for posting a comment on social networking website Facebook criticising IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal's suspension, supporters of UP Minister Azam Khan Thursday demanded that National Security Act be invoked against him.
Hundreds of supporters of Khan, the urban development minister in Akhilesh Yadav government, reached the office of Rampur Superintendent of Police, Umesh Kumar Singh, and demanded that the NSA be invoked Bharti for hurting religious sentiments. The stringent NSA provides for preventive detention for reasons like maintaining security, public order and so on.
Bharti was arrested on Tuesday after a close aide of Khan lodged a complaint stating that the Dalit scholar had posted comments on Facebook with the intention of spreading communal tension.
Meanwhile, PTI quoted him saying that the media has been glorifying suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal as 'Durgaji'. "The media has projected Durga as Durgaji. Officers from the level of MD to chief engineer get suspended and not even a single line is published," Azam said in Bareilly.
The New Indian Express
Panel raises doubts over Ilavarasan suicide theory
The inquiry commission under Justice S R Singaravelu, a retired high court judge, constituted by the Tamil Nadu Government to probe the death of Dalit boy E Ilavarasan, who was found dead near the railway track on July 4, began work in Dharmapuri here on Thursday.
Around 11.50 am, Justice Singaravelu visited the spot where Ilavarasan's body was found. He was accompanied by district collector K Vivekanandan and SP Asra Garg.
He posed several questions to the officials about the police investigation. After inspecting the spot, Singaravelu said, "Calculating the train's velocity at the spot, it should have been travelling at a speed of about 80 kmph. If hit by a train at that speed, the body would have been thrown far away. However, in this case, the body was found very close to the track. This raises questions whether it was a suicide."
On the suicide note, he said, "I have doubts on whether the suicide note was written by Ilavarasan on his own or whether he was influenced to write it. The person who influenced him could have later killed him."
He also asked the officers about Murugan, the man who had come in the mortuary van to take the body of Ilavarasan. The man was beaten up by the crowd when he dropped his gloves and picked them up. People thought he was tampering with evidence and attacked him brutally.
Further, he said, "Doctor submitted a report stating that the death could be caused by the impact of a running train; police are viewing the incident from the same angle." However, Justice Singaravelu said if Ilavarasan was going to commit suicide, why would he have withdrawn `9,000 from an ATM.
Seven government officials including, DSP V Sampath, revenue divisional officer Menaka, tasildhar M Vijaya, Dr K Thuder who performed the post-mortem, Thadangam village administrative officer T Jayaraman, resident medical officer (GDMCH) Surabhi, railway DSP S Rajendran filed affidavits and appeared before the commission to file their statement.
Beside this, two persons, K Alagesan, president, Inter-caste Couple's Association of India, and S Neelakandan, state secretary of Marxist party filed affidavits and appeared before commission.
None from Ilavarasan and Divya's families had attended the inquiry.
The inquiry finished around 3.35 pm. After the inquiry, he told media people: "The hearing went smoothly.
Today, we received affidavits. An extensive inquiry would be conducted on August 26 and 27. We will send summons to family members of Ilavarasan and Divya to participate in the inquiry."
The Asian Age
Kin boycott Ilavarasan panel
http://www.asianage.com/india/kin-boycott-ilavarasan-panel-824
Dharmapuri: Family members of deceased Dalit youth, Ilavarasan, on Thursday failed to appear before the state government-constituted one-man commission, headed by retired judge S.R.Singaravelu, to probe his death.
"More than 30 affidavits were received from officials and others. Summons will be issued to the relatives of Ilavarasan and Divya to appear before the commission which will hold an inquiry again on August 26 and 27," the judge said.
Ilavarasan, a resident of Natham colony here, had married a Vanniya girl, Divya, and his subsequent death under suspicious circumstances had created tension in Dharmapuri. The police had recovered Ilavarasan's dead body on July 4 near a railway track behind Dharmapuri Arts College here.
Ilavarasan's father T. Elangovan, who claims that there was foul play though police found a suicide note, asked, "Why should we appear before the commission when our demand to change Singaravelu as its head was not accepted?" He said he had filed an appeal petition in the Madras high court regarding this, with the matter coming up for hearing on August 14.
"Singaravelu has acted against Dalits in the past. We wanted another commission head who may expose the caste conspiracy that was at work in Ilavarasan's death," he said.
Singaravelu, who inspected the spot where Ilavarasan was found dead, said, "It is unbelievable that he committed suicide when calculated against the speed of the train that hit the youth and the spot where his dead body was found."
Not ruling out the possibility of foul play over the death of Illavarasan, he added, "It may be also be a case of homicide, committed by a person who insisted that he write the suicide note, offering him the compensation of having Divya and a lost paradise back."
The retired judge said police reports submitted before the commission would not influence the inquiry.
DNA
College flouts SC/ST rules, decides to refund extra fee
After members of a student welfare group complained to the social welfare department against Podar College of Commerce and Economics, Matunga, for charging students from reserved categories extra fees, the department issued a notice to the college on August 2, demanding an explanation.
Approximately 2,500 students study at the college. According to the complaint filed by Prahar Vidhyarthi Sangathan, the college had been charging students of the Bachelor of Management Studies Rs2,000 more for yoga classes, internal exams, workshops and seminars, among other things.
As per the rules of University of Mumbai (2008-09), students belonging to any reserved category cannot be charged fees apart from admission processing fees, document verification fees, if applicable, ID card fees, disaster relief fund, group insurance fee, student welfare fund, e-suvidha, alumni association fee and vice-chancellor fund.
Principal Shobana Vasudevan said the fees were optional and introduced to complement the employment-oriented BMS course. "The college is making an effort to prepare students for their careers and, hence, providing activities. However, this comes at a price. What we charge is much less than what the market offers," she said.
However, she went on to add, "Fees charged for yoga, internal exams, workshops, seminars and others are optional, and we will return the money if any student asks for it."
The college had also been charging all students a document verification fee of Rs400 while giving admission, violating the university's rules. According to the varsity's fee structure, only students who aren't from the Board of Higher Secondary Education in Maharashtra can be charged this fee.
"We collect this from all students at the start of the year as it is difficult to differentiate. However, once we create our records, we put up a notice and refund the fees to students from the state board," said Vasudevan.
Business Standard
Bill to prevent SC/ST Commission chief's disqualification
A Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha today to amend a law to keep Chairpersons of National Commissions for the SC and ST out of the purview of office of profit clause.
This will ensure that an MP can hold that post without facing any disqualification threat.
Congress MP P L Punia is the Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Caste, while former Congress MP Rameshwar Oraonheads the panel for STs.
The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2013, introduced by Law Minister Kapil Sibal, seeks to include both the Commissions in the list of offices which are not affected by the office of profit clause.
News Monitor by Girish Pant
--
.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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