Himalayan Altitudes: Lakshmipet case: RDO shifted -

SRIKAKULAM: Soon after the suspension of two police officials, two revenue officials on Monday came under scanner in connection with the Lakshmipet carnage. in which five dalits were killed by their opponents three weeks ago.

Palakonda RDO Venkateswara Rao was shifted by posting Dayanidhi in his place while Vangara tehsildar A Simhachalam was suspended by the district administration for not discharging his duties. The Rajam tehsildar was given the additional responsibility.

The investigating agency CID, has arrested 66 persons, including prime accused, former ZPTC members Botsa Vasudeva Rao and Congress party worker Avula Srinivasa Rao.

The district authorities have already suspended the Rajam circle-inspector and Vangara sub-inspector.

Principal secretary of social welfare department Raymond Peter, who visited the village, said that the failure of the revenue officials in controlling the situation at Lakshmipet was glaring. President of Madiga Vidyardhi Trust AV Patel, who visited the village, demanded the government to provide revolvers to all the dalit families for self-protection.

Dalit rights leader Katti Padma Rao urged the government to order a CBI inquiry and allot five acres of land to each dalit family.

The Tribune

SC student 'denied' degree

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120703/ldh1.htm#1

Mohit Khanna, Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 2

Twenty-five-year-old Kuldip Singh from Bhogpur near Jalandhar is a classic case of how the policies for the welfare of Scheduled Caste (SC) students never reach them and are restricted to the creamy layer.

Kuldip alleged that the authorities of Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College have refused to provide a detailed marksheet and a provisional degree certificate after the SC scholarship funds amounting to nearly Rs 1.5 lakh of four semesters was not released by the department concerned.

For nearly a month, Kuldip along with his father has been travelling 100 km from Bhoghpur near Jalandhar to Ludhiana on a motorcycle to convince the authorities for releasing relevant documents so that he could apply for a decent job.

Narrating his ordeal, Kuldip said: "I am paying the price of being poor. The statement of free education for SC students exists only on papers. As the payment of four semesters has not been released by the directorate of technical education, the college authorities have denied issuing a detailed marksheet and the provisional degree certificate. I lost a job in HCL as my documents were not complete. The college authorities are demanding Rs 1.5 lakh in lieu of issuing the documents. My parents are poor and ailing and I am their only hope."

"Everyone knows my plight. Besides urging the college authorities to issue my certificates, I met ADC Neeru Katyal, who spoke to the college authorities on my behalf. Then I met Deputy Director, Technical Education, Mohanbir Singh Sidhu. He told me that he would talk to the college authorities."€

Next day Mohanbir Singh told me told me to submit the amount for two semesters. The reply was an eye opener for me. It was enough to realise that the scholarships for SC students was a farce."€ Even SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, who are chairman and member of the Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College management committee, shattered his hope.

"Both the leaders said that I have to deposit the money for two semesters. I agreed, but the college authorities want that I should give them a blank post-dated cheque for Rs 50,000 and sign a bond as well. Exasperated, I met the district welfare officer, who is also looking after the scholarship matters of the SC students, but he, too, did not suggest any way out. I do not know what to do," lamented Kuldip.

Zee News

SC/ST discrimination: Low conviction rate a concern

http://zeenews.india.com/news/tamil-nadu/sc/st-discrimination-low-conviction-rate-a-concer_785252.html

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 03, 2012, 16:06

Chennai: Centre on Tuesday expressed concern over the low conviction rate of cases relating to discrimination against SC/ST community members in Tamil Nadu and asked the state government to ensure that various steps were in place to address the issue.

A suggestion had been given on including a compulsory paper in state government examinations regarding relevant legislations, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik told reporters here.

According to 2010 statistics, conviction rate especially in relation to Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1988, was a little over 24 per cent, he told reporters here.

"We have asked the state government to ensure there was no under-reporting of cases,timely investigation and chargesheeting, constant review of the performance of Special Public Prosecutors and prosecution," he said on the sidelines of a review meeting of implementation of the relevant Acts in the state.

While the relevant legislations allowed officers "wilfully," negligent in discharging their duties to be penalised, the state government has not found a single officer guilty under it for the past 22 years, he said.

"We have suggested that there be a compulsory paper in state government exams (held by Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission) to make the candidates well aware of the provisions in the legislations as they are the ones who will be implementing them (after being recruited)," he said.

Listing the different Central initiatives aimed at benefiting the SC/ST community, he said the government had recently approved a scheme to provide scholarship to students of Classes IX and X, and allocated an annual sum of Rs 950 crore for 42 lakh students.

Further, according to the Public Procurement Policy, 20 per cent of the goods and services would be procured from MSMEs of which 20 per cent would come from SC/ST members which was around Rs 8000 crore worth goods, Wasnik said. PTI

The Times Of India

SC/ST meet: The naxal who wasn't

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/article3594070.ece

Staff Correspondent

On questioning the boy, we found out that he was a photographer, who had come to Kuthlur to entice villagers to point out naxals.

The case of a "naxal" who was just a wily photo journalist aspirant came to the fore at the monthly Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe (SC/ST) meeting with the Superintendent of Police held here on Sunday.

According to Shekhar L., a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader from Belthangady, on May 3, a boy, who identified himself as a student, approached a villager in Kuthlur, Belthangady taluk, asking the villager to give him a list of naxal sympathisers in the area. The boy had even given his visiting card that read "Nagarjuna Sarangamatha, Manjula digital photo and video point, Badamal", which was reproduced by Mr. Shekhar at the meeting. (Badamala is a village near Dharwad.) The card even had a number.

"He told the villager that he had around 15 people ready to join the cause, and was looking to recruit people from the village into naxalism," he said. Alarmed by this, the villager approached Mr. Shekhar who alerted the police. However, during the meeting he alleged that the district police had not taken the case "seriously".

Responding to the allegation, Abhishek Goyal, Superintendent of Police, told him that the investigation had been completed, and the boy had even obtained bail. "On questioning the boy, we found out that he was a photographer, who had come to Kuthlur to entice villagers to point out naxals. His plan was to take their pictures and release it to the media," he said.

'Using us as bait'

During the meeting, Sanjeev Kumar and his wife Yashoda, from Ivernadu in Sullia taluk, claimed the police had falsely told the media that their daughter and a murder suspect had been married.

According to the couple, after Deviprasad, a suspect in the death of Meera Balakrishna who was brutally killed in Sullia taluk in 2008, the police had told a local Kannada daily that Deviprasad and their daughter had been married.

"Deviprasad and our daughter had had a relationship, and after they eloped, he was even sent to jail under a kidnap charge. However, since our daughter has not even turned 18, there is no question of them being married," said Mr. Kumar.

Responding to this, Mr. Goyal said: "It isn't the police who have said that. You should ask the reporter of the paper where he got the information from."

Delayed compensation

Bringing up the issue of delayed compensation, S.P Anand, District president, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Ambedkar Vada), said that even after many meetings, compensation had not been paid to the victims of atrocity cases.

Mr. Goyal assured him of a review of pending cases before the next meeting.

Deccan Herald

Reserved category students protest

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/261433/reserved-category-students-protest.html

New Delhi, July 2, 2012, DHNS:

Students applying in the reserved category in Delhi University colleges protested outside the office of the dean of students' welfare on Monday alleged against irregularities in the admission process.

Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) category candidates say they are facing difficulties on several issues, while Other Backward Class (OBC) students have complaints against Ramjas College.

"Even after making to the cut-off list, we are refused admissions because the seats are full. In general category, there are more admissions than the sanctioned seats. Then why the rule is applicable to us?" said Nitesh, an OBC student who applied in Ramjas College in History (H).

Admissions in the OBC category cannot exceed the sanctioned strength and are merit-based, said a college official.

The college had sent a letter to dean of students' welfare (DSW) asking for directions if admissions exceed the sanctioned number of seats in the OBC category. The reply from the deputy registrar (academic) said no OBC candidate will be accommodated above the sanctioned seats.

Students belonging to SC/ST category said they are facing difficulties seeking information as they did not get the prospectuses this time.

"DSW has assured us that the prospectus will be given to the SC/ST candidates from next admission year. The problem of not exceeding the reserved category seats arises in SC/ST category also," said Vikas Kumar, a student.

Students from SC/ST category questioned what if they have more marks than general category students. "The university has brought out a notification which mentioned that students having percentage equivalent to general category candidates can take admission in general category," said Sujit Kumar, member of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan.

But there is no direct transfer from the reserve category to general category, added Kumar.

Indian Express

Orissa temple a statement for Dalits and womanhood

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/orissa-temple-a-statement-for-dalits-and-womanhood/969454/0

Dhamra (Bhadrak), Tue Jul 03 2012, 03:11 hrs

The Maa Dhamarai temple in Bhadrak district is more than a typical Hindu place of worship; it goes against two trends in Orissa. The temple is not only accessible to Dalits but also has women priests — again Dalits — in a state where a patriarchal society frowns on this very concept.

Denial of access to Dalits has been a rule, usually unwritten, in a number of Orissa's countless temples. In July last year, chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes P L Punia was denied entry to a temple to goddess Kali in Puri district. In 2005, four Dalits had faced massive opposition from upper castes when they tried to enter a 300-year-old Jagannath temple in their village in coastal Kendrapara. Those Dalits did gain entry a year later following a directive from the Orissa High Court, but the general trend continues elsewhere.

The standout Maa Dhamarai temple is on the outskirts of Dhamra, a fishing village about 20km from the ballistic missile launchpad of Wheeler Island.

"Before Maa Dhamarai, there is no caste or gender discrimination. She is a woman after all," says Rabindra Nath Majhi, who looks after the temple's day-to-day affairs. "It is the priestesses who are allowed to perform certain rituals. We men don't even dare look at the goddess in the dark. Only a woman can look at her from up close," says Nityananda Das of the temple management.

At the break of dawn every day, hundreds of Dalits as well as upper caste members from villages throng the temple as priestesses Bimali Majhi and Laxmi Behera perform the rituals, chanting hymns and making offerings to the goddess.

The temple caters to villages under Dhamra and Jagula gram panchayats, which are dominated by Kaibartas, a fishing community. There is also a legend around how Dalits came to have their "own" temple. According to local folklore, the goddess, a vegetarian living at a place called Satabhaya, had five sisters who were non-vegetarian. The legend goes that they disliked their sister's food habits so much that they pushed her into the sea.

Some five decades ago, when some members of a fishing family cast their net, it became so heavy that they could not lift it for days. When they finally managed to do so, what they found in the net was a large rock. The king of Kanika, Sailendra Narayan Bhanjadeo, under whose kingdom the Dhamra panchayat fell, claimed to have had a dream the same night, in which the goddess had sought a temple built for her near Dhamra. The stone was first worshipped in a thatched house, and later shifted to a concrete temple in 1998. One of the goddess's specific wishes was that she should be worshipped by widows from the fisherfolk community.

That is how Bimali Majhi got her job. Majhi, over 70 and Dalit, is a widow from a village in Chandbali block of Bhadrak district. Married in her teens, she lost her husband to a violent land dispute a decade later, came back to her parents' home and looked after her three children as well as those of her brothers. Shortly after the children married, the presiding Dehuri of the temple died and the search for a new one stopped at Majhi's door. Her roots lie in one of the two fisherfolk clans that had been "ordained" for the job.

"I don't know any formal hymns like the Brahmins do in pujas. For me it's a heart-to-heart talk with the goddess," says Majhi, who has been serving in the temple for 15 years along with co-priestess Laxmi.

For fisherfolk, the goddess is the only insurance for a successful trip into the Bay of Bengal. "All fisherfolk who make a trip to sea offer their prayers at the temple before they start out in the morning. I have never seen any fisherman who has gone to sea without visiting the temple," says Sudarshan Behera, an elderly villager. "I have even seen scientists from DRDO offering prayers at the temple before they go for the launch of a ballistic missile."

--
.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.

Himalayan Altitudes

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Lakshmipet case: RDO shifted -

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