Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 03.09.13
Is the Haryana government covering up what killed the young Dalit girl in Jind?- First Post India
Lodge owner booked under Nirbhaya Act- The Hindu
Elavarasan's father rejects suicide theory- The Times Of India
Dalit writer moves HC for relief, quashing of FIR- The Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dalit-writer-moves-hc-for-relief-quashing-of-fir/1163910/
After laptop vows, Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces sops for SC/ST students- The Times Of India
BSP MP Karimpuri raises Vicky murder case in Rajya Sabha- Hindustan Times
NOTE : Please find attachment for HINDI DMW (PDF)
First Post India
Is the Haryana government covering up what killed the young Dalit girl in Jind?
It is almost a year since public anger against the Haryana government's notorious record for crimes against women, triggered by a spate of rapes – 19 in one month, forced UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to visitone of the rape victims in Jind.
But to what effect?
The resistance of the state police to register and investigate sexual crimes against Dalits remains undiminished, say women's rights activists. The resistance is especially strong in a district like Jind, which has a violent history of brutalities committed against women from the Dalit community, they say.
A recent incident involving the mysterious death of a 20-year-old Dalit girl has sparked widespread protests in the state against the police for not bringing the guilty to book.
Since 25 August, when the body was found, three post-mortems have been conducted. The first two, conducted in Jind and Rohtak, concluded the death was a suicide. The result of the third post-mortem conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has not yet been disclosed.
Jagmati Sangwan, vice-president of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) and president of the Haryana state unit said, "It is based on the medical report that we can pursue this case further. The circumstantial evidence indicates that there has been rape and murder. The first two medical reports said that there was poisoning and that there was no rape and murder. The third medical report can be a reliable report.
We are trying to get a copy of that report."
Residents of the village of Baniya Kheda had a chance to see the girl's body: "They brought the body to the morgue and asked the women to take a look," the Hindu reports. "Her body was lying sprawled on the stretcher and her neck seemed broken. Her arm was twisted inwards at the wrist as if by force. Her feet seemed to have been tied with a strong rope and her salwar was drenched in blood. There were round burn marks around her neck and chest where the skin had turned white as if cigarette or bidi had been stubbed out on it. Blood was also flowing from scratch marks at her chest and legs. Only her face was clean and untouched."
On 29 August, a fact-finding team led by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) and comprising journalists, lawyers and activists visited Jind to investigate the case.
Relating the sequence of events, Deepika Shokeen of AIDMAM and a member of the fact-finding team said, "The girl left the house at 11 am (for a Junior Basic Training course exam at the Jind, 22 km from her village).
At about 4 pm, the family got a call from someone who had found her bag. The family then tried to lodge a complaint at the nearest police station in Pillukhera but were shunted out. The girl's body was found the following day at around 8 am near a canal in the fields."
The body was then taken to Jind Civil Hospital, outside which residents of the village would later hold a week long protest, holding on to the girl's body. The body was cremated on Saturday (31 August) after the family and the people of the village were promised that the culprits would be brought to book, said Shokeen.
Speaking about the family's harrowing experience, she said, "Despite there being bruises and burn marks on her body, the doctors at Jind Hospital called it a suicide. The body was then taken to a hospital in Rohtak, which also concluded it was a case of suicide. The police, in a press briefing conducted a day after we arrived in Jind, said that poison had been found in the girl's body," said Shokeen.
The family's hope now rests on third and final post-mortem report by AIIMS.
Speaking about the state police's record when it comes to acting against sexual violence against Dalit women, Sangwan said, "There have been incidents where action has not been as swift and serious as it should have been. That is why people don't believe what the administration and the two medical reports conducted in Haryana are indicating. There is a long history of this type of discrimination. Young girls from the Dalit community who are aspiring for upward mobility are being made to pay with their lives and honour. The circumstantial evidence in this case is very strongly indicating rape and murder."
Sangwan said she was hopeful that the SIT (Special Investigation Team) that has been constituted would get to the bottom of the issue.
"We would like appeal to the government that the family of the girl should be supported in every way. What they are going through is extremely traumatic. The AIIMS post-mortem report should be taken on record as soon as possible and there should be strict punishment against police officers who misbehaved with the family," she said.
Supporting the protests that broke out, Sangwan said, "The protest was necessary. The girl's family came to the hospital with the body at around 8 am. Till 4 pm, nobody took them seriously. Their protest was justified.
Students also protested. About 2000 people took part. This kind of thing is needed more and more in Haryana."
Relating two more instances of rape of Dalit girls in Jind in recent weeks and the police's "inexcusable lack of commitment to tracking down the criminals," Sangwan said, "In July, near Narwana town, a Dalit girl was gang-raped in the fields. Our activists took her to police station. And from 6 pm to 3 am they were kept in police station. In another incident, near Julana town, parents of a girl who was raped came to the police station at 8 am and no action was taken till 2 pm. Only after the family contacted us and we put pressure on the police, did they register a case."
The AIDMAM-led fact-finding team will release its investigative report on the "gross negligence of Haryana police in the investigation of alleged rape and murder of Dalit girl in Jind, Haryana" on Tuesday (3 September).
The Hindu
Lodge owner booked under Nirbhaya Act
Kothapet Police have booked a case under Nirbhaya Act against a lodge owner after charging him with illegal confinement and outraging the modesty of a 40-year old Dalit woman.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Guntur Urban, B.V Ramana Kumar on Monday said five accused, including Eepuru Sudhakar, owner of New Mayuri Lodge at Kothapet, were arrested and cases slapped against them under Sections 354 (B) Nirbhaya Act and Prevention of Atrocities (SC&ST) Act.
Police said the woman from Vatticherukuru mandal has been working in the lodge for the last two years. On August 30, the lodge owners alleged that the woman stole Rs.18,000. When they confronted her, the woman tried to escape but the former caught hold of her and confined her in a room.
Since then, they have been allegedly harassing her in the name of her caste even stripping her and beating her with electric wires.
The woman was able to wriggle out of their confinement and lodged a complaint with the Kothapet Police.
An enquiry was conducted by OSD, Urban and based on his report, five persons, including two brothers of the owner and his father, were arrested.
Station House Officer of Kothapet, Ashok, OSD, Guntur Urban, Gopinath Jetty were present.
The Times Of India
Elavarasan's father rejects suicide theory
CHENNAI: T Elango, father of the dalit youth E Elavarasan, has rejected the police theory that his son committed suicide. His son was found dead near railway tracks in Dharmapuri on July 4 at the height of a controversy surrounding his marriage with Divya, a young woman of another caste.
Rejecting the suicide theory, the reply filed by Elango's counsel S Rajanikanth said Elavarasan never had suicidal tendencies. "He might have expressed his anguish with his friends about the separation with Divya.
But that would not mean he would commit suicide," he said.
Raising serious doubts about the nature of injuries found on Elavarasan's body and reiterating his argument that a train hit would have left a different impact on the youth, Elango said investigation by police was bound to be unfair and partial. "The whole case should be probed by an independent investigation officers and forensic experts of repute," Elango said.
The Indian Express
Dalit writer moves HC for relief, quashing of FIR
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dalit-writer-moves-hc-for-relief-quashing-of-fir/1163910/
Dalit writer Kanwal Bharti, who was arrested by the Rampur police for his Facebook post against CM Akhilesh Yadav and cabinet minister Azam Khan, Monday filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court demanding compensation from the state government, quashing of the FIR, and stay on the investigation.
The matter is likely to come up for hearing on September 5 before a bench headed by Justice Surendra Singh.
Bharti had posted the comment after IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal was suspended for ordering demolition of the wall of an under-construction mosque in Gautam Budh Nagar.
The Dalit writer had questioned as to why no action was taken when a 200-year-old madrasa was demolished in Rampur — the constituency of state cabinet minister Azam Khan.
He had gone on to comment that it appeared that the Minister (made respondent No. 5 in the petition) was above God in his area.
Khan's aide Fasahat Ali Khan had then approached the police and lodged an FIR against him on August 5 on charges of disturbing communal harmony.
Bharti was arrested August 6 morning.
In his petition, Bharti states that the FIR is a violation of Article 19 (1) of the Constitution, which allows freedom of speech and expression, and was registered against him at Azam Khan's behest with malafide intention.
"The prayer is to grant compensation to the petitioner for the harassment and loss of self-esteem caused to him. Also, we have prayed that the FIR be quashed and the investigation in the matter be stayed till the pendency of the petition,'' said senior advocate Ravi Kiran Jain, who would appear in court on Bharti's behalf.
The petition also argues that had his comments been communally sensitive, instances of flare-ups would have taken place as soon as he had posted the comment on Facebook on July 29. The complainant lodged the FIR after he read the post on August 5, the petition states.
The Times Of India
After laptop vows, Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces sops for SC/ST students
BHOPAL: After distributing cash for laptops to meritorious students, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, addressing a gathering at his residence on Monday, announced that state government would pay fees of SC/ST students securing admission in private medical and engineering colleges.
According to a government release, state government would pay fees of students securing admission in 8 courses, including B Ed, BDS, engineering diploma, nursing and pharmacy among others. Government will extend foreign study assistance facility to 50 SC and ST students. Earlier, 10 students each from both the sections were provided this assistance.
At the SC/ST post-matric meritorious students' awareness camp, Chouhan also announced that new cycles will be provided to SC girls on securing admission in class XI.
Besides, 30 % subsidy upto a maximum of Rs 3 lakh will be provided to SC/ST youths for setting up industries under Tantya Bhil Swarozgar Yojana. They can also avail benefit of Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarozgar Yojana.
He said that youths should become employers and not job-seekers.
Hindustan Times
BSP MP Karimpuri raises Vicky murder case in Rajya Sabha
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Rajya Sabha MP Avtar Singh Karimpuri has raised issue of atrocities being committed against dalits especially in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Taking up the case of Nathpal Dhilwan, a dalit, of Dhilwan village, Jalandhar; he said that Vijay Kumar Dhilwan, the nephew of Nathpal Dhilwan was allegedly murdered by the councilor of Ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) during post Vienna protests in Jalandhar in 2009.
Karimpuri further said that Nathpal was the main witness in Vijay murder case and has also been pursuing the case for last for years. Rajya MP also said that as police under pressure of ruling SAD submitted inquiry report in the court to cancel the FIR against SAD councilor registered under section 302, but the court rejected it and now the murder case is being pursued by Nathpal against SAD councilor in the court.
MP further said that Vicky Dhilwan, who was also a dalit, was murdered on August 16 and Nathpal was framed in this case as he was the main witnesses. "The family members of Vicky were demanding probe into the role of the driver of SAD councilor in the murder case", he said by adding that the police are not ready to probe into his role.
He added that similarly a dalit sarpanch Desraj was abused and harassed by a feudal NRI after the sarpanch of village Khangura, Phagwara refused to follow the diktat of the NRI. The SC sarpanch could not bear pressure of NRI and committed suicide by jumping before the train, he said. He said that the police registered FIR against the NRI only after BSP held protest in Phagwara, but did not arrest NRI till date.
BSP member said that the center government should intervene in the cases to stop victimization of the dalits in the state where SAD BJP government is in power. Karimpuri further told that in Jind district of Haryana, a dalit girl was abducted, raped and murdered but her family had to sit on dharna to get justice.
In this case too, the police are pressuring the family members of the girl to withdraw the case, he added.
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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