Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Bangalore: Dalit boy killed for writing love letter to upper caste girl -Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 08.07.15

Bangalore: Dalit boy killed for writing love letter to upper caste girl - India Today

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bangalore-dalit-boy-killed-writing-love-letter-upper-caste-girl/1/449934.html

FIR lodged in kidney sale case - The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/fir-lodged-in-kidney-sale-case/article7396855.ece

Two main accused in Dalit girl rape, murder case arrested - Business Standard

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/two-main-accused-in-dalit-girl-rape-murder-case-arrested-115070700339_1.html

Yet another day of protests in Belagavi - The Hindu

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/YET-ANOTHER-DAY-OF-PROTESTS-IN-BELAGAVI/ARTICLE7397441.ECE

Land distribution under LPS raises doubts - The Hindu

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/CITIES/HYDERABAD/LAND-DISTRIBUTION-UNDER-LPS-RAISES- DOUBTS/ARTICLE7397515.ECE

Karnataka worst in the south in manual scavenging numbers - The Hindu

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/KARNATAKA-WORST-IN-THE-SOUTH-IN-MANUAL-SCAVENGING-NUMBERS/ARTICLE7396071.ECE

MP home to 2nd highest manual scavengers - The Times Of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/MP-home-to-2nd-highest-manual-scavengers/articleshow/47979974.cms

Murdered or Not? Court Seeks Woman's DNA Test Proof as Police Refuse to Accept Her Identity - The New Indian Express

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Murdered-or-Not-Court-Seeks-Womans-DNA-Test-Proof-as-Police-Refuse-to-Accept-Her-Identity/2015/07/08/article2907933.ece

Sweepers rally for co-worker thrashed by house owner - The Times Of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Sweepers-rally-for-co-worker-thrashed-by-house-owner/articleshow/47981156.cms

Students take mass oath against untouchability - The Hindu

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/STUDENTS-TAKE-MASS-OATH-AGAINST-UNTOUCHABILITY/ARTICLE7395479.ECE

 

Please Watch :

 

Nepal's Dalits face caste discrimination

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWIXLm7LXys

 

Note: Please find attachment for DMW Hindi ( PDf)

 

 

 

India Today

Bangalore: Dalit boy killed for writing love letter to upper caste girl

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bangalore-dalit-boy-killed-writing-love-letter-upper-caste-girl/1/449934.html

 

Anil and the girl were studying in the same school at the taluka level and were friends.

 

Aravind Gowda   |   Mail Today  |   Bengaluru, July 8, 2015 | UPDATED 11:44 IST

 

A Dalit boy was bludgeoned to death by three people after he was caught handing over a love letter to a girl belonging to the "upper caste" in Mirji village in Bagalkote district, central Karnataka. 

 

The girl's father, brother and another relative are absconding after launching a murderous attack on 17-year-old Anil Parashurama Methri on July 1. The boy succumbed to injuries on Tuesday. His parents, who were also badly assaulted by the girl's family, are undergoing treatment for their injuries in a government hospital.

 

According to the police, Anil and the girl were studying in the same school at the taluka level and were friends. On July 1, around 8:30 pm, Anil went to the girl's home secretly and was handing over the love letter to her through the window. He was caught red-handed by the girl's father and brother.

 

After reading the letter, the girl's brother took a wooden log and hit him on his head, it is alleged. Then, they tied him to a pole in the backyard of their home and beat him. On hearing that their son has been caught, his parents rushed to the girl's home. They begged the girl's family to let go off Anil, but it is alleged that even they were assaulted badly.

 

According to the police, the accused dumped a severely injured Anil in a nearby sugarcane field around midnight. In the morning, Anil's relatives found him in an unconscious state and admitted him to the nearby government hospital. As his condition was critical, they shifted him to the BLDE Hospital in Vijayapura. However, the boy did not survive.

 

His death led to a tense situation in Bagalkote district. Anticipating trouble, the district administration has deployed additional forces in the village where the incident took place. The police have also launched a search operation to apprehend all the three accused in the case.

 

The Hindu

FIR lodged in kidney sale case

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/fir-lodged-in-kidney-sale-case/article7396855.ece

 

STAFF REPORTER

 

Phulbani police station in Kandhamal district of Odisha has registered an FIR and started investigation into the case of alleged sell of kidney by a youth of a poor family.

 

It may be noted that there were demands for a Crime Branch investigation into this case. According to sources, on June 3 the Kandhamal District Collector received a letter from the State Health and Family Welfare department regarding the probe. Till now, no one had filed any FIR with the police. But earlier an administrative enquiry had been made into this alleged kidney sale by the youth. Basing on the report of administrative enquiry, an FIR was lodged in Phulbani police station of Kandhamal district on June 6.

 

This case is related to Kanhu Behera (20) of Phulbani town, district headquarter of Kandhamal. It has been revealed that Kanhu had agreed to provide one of his kidneys to a person of Berhampur for Rs. 3.5 lakh in April this year. The kidney transplant had been done in a hospital in Sri Lanka.

 

In June, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had intervened and sought action taken reports from the DC and Superintendent of Police (SP) concerned.

 

Social activist Akhand, who took up the matter with the NHRC, had alleged that brokers were active in the State to lure poor persons sell their kidneys. According to him a broker had convinced Kanhu to sell one of his kidneys to arrange money for construction of a house for his family. "Acute poverty was the only reason for this Dalit poor boy to opt for selling kidney as his family doesn't have a BPL card and has received no government assistance yet," said Mr Akhand.

 

This broker has not been nabbed yet.

 

Business Standard

Two main accused in Dalit girl rape, murder case arrested

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/two-main-accused-in-dalit-girl-rape-murder-case-arrested-115070700339_1.html

 

Press Trust of India  |  Etah  

July 7, 2015 Last Updated at 13:07 IST

 

The two main accused, who were evading arrest in connection with rape and murder of a Dalit woman, were nabbed by police in Jalesar here, officials said today. 


The young Dalit woman was raped and murdered allegedly by four persons in village Khojpur Kotwali in Jalesar on April 24, after which they hanged her body from a tree, police said. 


The arrested accused -- Praveen and Kailash -- were named in an FIR lodged with Jalesar Kotwali. Later, both of them went into hiding, police said. 


While the duo were arrested yesterday, the other two accused wanted in connection with the case have been nabbed by the police earlier, they said. 


The locals have been demanding immediate arrest of the accused since the incident.

 

The Hindu

Yet another day of protests in Belagavi

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/YET-ANOTHER-DAY-OF-PROTESTS-IN-BELAGAVI/ARTICLE7397441.ECE

 

      VIJAYKUMAR PATIL

 

Tuesday was yet another day of protests by associations and groups of individuals representing various sections which have been agitating for years in the hope of that the elusive promises, which were repeatedly made, would soon be implemented.

 

The protests were organised at a designated place, facilitated by the district administration, near the Suvarana Vidhana Soudha where the 10-day monsoon session of the State legislature is in progress since June 29.

 

A large number of workers serving in various municipalities in the State, who staged the protest under the banner of Karnataka Rajya Municipal Karmikara Sangha (affiliated to CITU), asked the government to regularise their services.

 

They submitted a set of nine demands, which included abolishing the exploitative contract system, regularising services of the workers who have been serving for the past 20 years on contract basis for low wages, equal pay for equal work, weekly off to daily wage workers and appointment of more workers considering the population growth in cities and towns.

 

Karnataka State Construction Workers Union (affiliated to CITU) submitted a set of 17 demands including the release of benefits offered by the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board within one month after receipt of the application, issue of identity cards, withdrawal of cases registered by Belagavi police against the workers for staging a protest in front of SVS last year and so on. Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Yuva Manch asked the government to prevent encroachment of the graveyard reserved for SC/ST communities in Kangral Galli.

 

Amidst these protest, the one staged by Master's Merchants Association was the only case where the government responded positively. Urban Development Minister Vinay Sorske invited the association members and promised to do justice by distributing alternate sites to 30 families which lost their sites under road-widening work along the Congress road in the city 20 years ago.

 

The Hindu

Land distribution under LPS raises doubts

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/CITIES/HYDERABAD/LAND-DISTRIBUTION-UNDER-LPS-RAISES- DOUBTS/ARTICLE7397515.ECE

 

      SWATHI V.

 

The assignment condition on the pattas allows scope for government to resume the land for any   public purpose in future without payment of compensation, says report

 

A review report on the year-long functioning of the Telangana government has raised doubts about the Land Purchase Scheme (LPS) for landless Dalits, and sought to know if land assignment is being obfuscated as land purchase.

 

The assignment conditions mentioned on the patta allow scope for the government to resume the land for any public purpose in future without payment of compensation, the report by the 'Wada Na Todo Abhiyan' revealed.

The report will be released officially on Tuesday.

 

Citing an order issued by the Revenue Department of the united AP dated December, 16, 2013, which sought to delete the earlier assignment condition for resumption of land by the government in case of assigned lands, the report questioned why Telangana government has chosen to ignore the order.

 

The order stipulated that compensation to assignees who relinquish their D-Form patta land for public purpose should be paid ex-gratia on par with private patta lands.

 

"Despite the new GO coming into force, the earlier condition continues to be printed on the pattas being given to women beneficiaries under the LPS," the report noted.

 

The land purchase programmes that were being implemented in the past through IKP, SERP and SC Corporation involved allocation of land with complete ownership rights, the report pointed, and demanded that the government come up with clear guidelines to redress this anomaly.

 

Reviewing the one-year rule of the Telangana government, the nationwide initiative by civil society and NGOs, has noted that most of the electoral promises by TRS have been converted into government flagship programmes. However, the overall trend in their implementation seems to be more of populist nature rather than meant to address the basic problems, it said.

 

Particularly hit is the agriculture sector, with both the loan waiver scheme and issue of loan eligibility cards to tenant formers coming a cropper. Farmers' suicides continue unabated, and the government's response towards crop damage was lukewarm.

 

Non-starter

The promise to develop Telangana as 'Seed Bowl' remained a non-starter, with no fund allocations.

A review of the SCSP and TSP revealed that only 37.56 per cent of the budget allocated for the sub-plan was spent during the year 2014-15.

 

No reviews were conducted on the functioning of the Scheduled Castes Development Department during the year.

 

The report also pointed that the promise of KG-PG free education and 12 per cent reservations to Muslims are yet to be implemented.

 

The government's performance was assessed in the areas of Governance, Agriculture, LPS, NREGS, Health and Medical, Pre-primary and primary education, Aadivasi issues, implementation of SC and ST sub-plan, and issues related to Muslim women.

 

The Hindu

Karnataka worst in the south in manual scavenging numbers

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/KARNATAKA-WORST-IN-THE-SOUTH-IN-MANUAL-SCAVENGING-NUMBERS/ARTICLE7396071.ECE

 

      MOHIT M. RAO

 

The figures may be under-reported as the definition of manual scavengers was amended in 2013.

 

With over 15,000 enumerated manual scavengers in rural parts of the State, Karnataka remains in the top five of the ignominious list recorded by the Socio Economic and Caste Census – 2011. While the State also represents the worst of the Southern Region — where the rest of the four States find themselves in the better end of the spectrum — the data also flies in the face of the State government's claim that just 306 cases of manual scavenging having been registered.

 

According to the recently released data, Karnataka has 15,375 manual scavengers in rural areas. This represents 0.19 per cent of the more than 80 lakh households enumerated in the survey in 2011. Only Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura fare worse.

 

The numbers may, in fact, be fundamentally under-reported as the definition of manual scavengers was amended in 2013 to include any sanitary worker handling waste manually. The survey was conducted in 2011 when scavengers were defined only as those who removed night soil.

 

"This should be a wake-up call for the State. It is a shame, and it has shown how the State has failed to curtail this," said Narayana, Chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karamcharis.

 

Even till 2013, the State government had shown just 306 "registered" manual scavengers in Karnataka — of which 202 were based out of Bengaluru itself. In statements made since, Minister for Social Welfare H. Anjaneya had estimated the number was "more than 10,000" persons; while, Mr. Narayana claimed it could be as high as 25,000.

 

"In 2013, the Union government allotted around Rs. 225 crore for manual scavenging relief to the State. As the government showed just 306 people, this money was taken back by the Centre," said Mr. Narayana, who added that an independent, "comprehensive" census was proposed to ascertain "actual" figures.

 

Activist B. Venkatesh, convener of Dalit Bahujan Movement, said the census showed "clearly" that the State was underplaying the issue. "There seems to be no will to bring manual scavengers to the mainstream," he said.

 

Clifton Rosario from Alternative Law Forum, which handled a manual scavenging petition with the High Court of Karnataka, said the census figures may be unrepresented, even considering the old definition.

 

Bonded labour bad too

It isn't just in manual scavenging numbers that the State finds itself in the dock. The Socio Economic and Caste Census – 2011 notes that the State has had 18,452 "released" bonded labourers, which makes it the fifth worst in the country.

 

What they have to say:

Narayana, Chairman, Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karamcharis: The census figures are an underestimation. During my visits to nearly 22 districts, I can say with certainty that every village has manual scavengers. This will continue as there are no drainage facilities in most rural areas.

 

B. Venkatesh, activist: Though 15,375 is much more than what the State government claims, the census figures may be under-reported. But, what it definitely shows is that there is no will in Karnataka to put a curb on manual scavenging.

 

Clifton Rosario, Alternative Law Forum:

It is sad that Karnataka, which was the pioneer in the eradication of manual scavenging four decades ago, still possess such high numbers.

 

***

Socio Economic and Caste Census – 2011

No. of households enumerated: 80.48 lakh

Manual scavengers: 15,375

 

Ministry of Social Justice note to Lok Sabha – 2013

7,740 houses in Karnataka are manually serviced

Estimated manual scavengers in Karnataka (urban and rural areas) is 14,555

 

Census 2011

13.6 per cent of nearly 13 lakh households in Karnataka have pit latrines

 

Legislation

Scavenging banned under The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 and The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013

Congress' Assembly election manifesto promised to end manual scavenging

 

The Times Of India

MP home to 2nd highest manual scavengers

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/MP-home-to-2nd-highest-manual-scavengers/articleshow/47979974.cms

 

Amarjeet Singh,TNN | Jul 8, 2015, 12.55 AM IST

 

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh is home to second largest number of manual scavengers in the country with about 23,000 people still making a living out of it according to census data of 2011 released recently. Only Maharashtra has a larger number of scavengers. 


This is contrary to claims of state government which has been boasting that it has helped take off the state from list of BIMARU states and tag given to states with poor social indices. 


Census data suggests MP has very clearly left the so called 'Bimaru' states Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha far behind when it comes to practice of manual scavenging. 


Figure of 23,000 is nearly 15% of the total number of people involved with manual scavenging. 


However, activists claimed socio-economic census was carried out only in rural areas and if urban areas are considered numbers would be far higher. 


"Manual scavenging is mainly an urban phenomenon and if a proper survey of urban areas is undertaken numbers would be double that of rural areas," Asif Sheikh of Jan Sahas an NGO working for eradication of manual scavenging for several years told TOI. 


"Focus should be on proper identification of people involved in the trade. Their rehabilitation and also on effective implementation of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 should be done and strict action be taken against those employing scavengers," Sheikh said. 


Traditionally in Madhya Pradesh people from two communities - Valmikis who come under SC category, and Helas— Muslims under OBC category as per state laws are engaged in this practice. 

 

As per the findings of the socio-economic Census in Bihar only 5,296 manual scavengers were found, while in Uttar Pradesh only 17,619 in Odisha 460 such scavengers were found. 

 

The New Indian Express

Murdered or Not? Court Seeks Woman's DNA Test Proof as Police Refuse to Accept Her Identity

 

THOOTHUKUDI:Love, murder, mystery and now anti-climax. Four years after a woman who was presumed murdered dramatically resurfaced to give a clean chit to her 'suspected killers', she was subjected to a DNA test after police refused to accept her identity.

 

According to sources, Manimekalai went missing in 2002 within a month of her marriage to one Anandhan, her boyfriend, at Perur. Even as Anandhan filed a complaint over his wife's disappearance at Srivaikundam in April, 2002, the charred body of a woman was found at Vallakulam and it was suspected to be the body of Manimekalai.

A superimposing test based on the skull images of Manimekalai was performed and police claimed it to be the missing woman.

 

In 2004, police arrested four youth, Balasubramanian, Kurunthan, Dasan and Kovilpillai and implicated them in the case.

 

They were remanded in jail for 90 days. But in 2007, they were acquitted as the judge was not convinced about the arguments of the prosecution and the evidence placed before him.

 

In 2011, Manimekalai re-appeared and submitted a petition to the district collector stating that she was not murdered and that her four relatives were falsely implicated.

 

Subsequently, the four victims moved the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court demanding action against the errant policemen and compensation for the undue hardship suffered by them. When the case came up for hearing on July 6,

 

police insisted that the woman, who returned, was not Manimekalai. However, the woman appeared before the bench and contended that Murappanadu police had booked a false case in 2002. Justice S Nagamuthu ordered a DNA test on Manimekalai and her father Muthu. In pursuance of the order, biological samples were collected from Manimekalai on Monday in Madurai and from her father on Tuesday in Thoothukudi.

 

Authorities have been ordered to submit the findings of the DNA test onJuly 15 following  which the court would take a view on the matter.

 

Shattered Dreams

The botched murder case has shattered the dreams of four Dalit youth after being put in jail for three years. One among them was Balasubramanian, a post-graduate in chemistry, who aimed at becoming a police officer.

 

Balasubramanian, now aged 42, told Express about the humiliation suffered by his family on account of the case. Son of a Railway Police personnel, Balasubramanian aspired to become a police officer. He was implicated in the murder case when he was preparing for the TNPSC Group-I exam, he said.

 

His dejected father fell ill and died while his wife filed for divorce. Even the relatives and villagers started behaving in an indifferent manner and he was subjected to humiliation several times in full public view. After his acquittal in 2007, he started working as a chemist at a power plant in Thoothukudi. .

Kurunthan claimed that he fell into severe debt trap and no woman was ready to marry him. Post-acquittal he got married to a close relative but still is being seen as a prisoner in his own village, where he is engaged in farming.

 

Dasan and Kovilpillai too are suffering due to the reported police excesses.

 

The Times Of India

Sweepers rally for co-worker thrashed by house owner

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Sweepers-rally-for-co-worker-thrashed-by-house-owner/articleshow/47981156.cms

 

TNN | Jul 8, 2015, 03.53 AM IST

MOHALI: Around 300 members of the Punjab Sweepers Union gathered outside the District Administrative Complex, Phase 1 here, to protest police inaction against the person who had allegedly thrashed a sweeper in Phase 4 on July 3.


The protest -- which began at 11am -- jammed the road, making commuters take a diversion to an internal road. It was alleged by union members that their co-worker Rakesh Kumar, who was picking up garbage from door to door on July 3, was thrashed by a house owner over a "petty issue". When Rakesh told the house owner to put the garbage in the trolley, the latter spilled it on the road in anger, and also thrashed Rakesh with an iron rod on his head.


Rakesh, who is under treatment at the civil hospital in Phase 6, is recovering from his injuries. Sajjan Singh, president of the Punjab Sweepers Union, said they had filed a request to the SSP, seeking arrest of the accused, failing which they threatened to go on strike.

 

The Hindu

Students take mass oath against untouchability

HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/STUDENTS-TAKE-MASS-OATH-AGAINST-UNTOUCHABILITY/ARTICLE7395479.ECE

 

      VISHWA KUNDAPURA

 

 The Government Pre-University College grounds in Kolar witnessed the gathering of thousands of students on Tuesday to take mass oath to end the social scourge of untouchability.

 

The Dalitara Grihapravesha Rajya Samiti, which has been conducting awareness programmes against eradicating practice of untouchability, oragnised 'Namma nade-Asprishyatemukta Bharatadede' (Our march towards untouchability-free India).

 

Students of the Government Pre-University Colleges for Boys and Girls and Government First Grade College as well as their faculty participated in the programme.

 

Administering the oath, the Deputy Commissioner K.V. Thrilokchandra called upon young boys and girls to work towards demolishing the invisible wall of untouchability.

 

"Taking an oath is not sufficient. One must follow the ideals of Constitution which preaches equality of all human beings", Mr. Thrilokchandra said. "It is humanitarian duty to treat every one like humans", he added.

 

Tahasildar Vijayanna, Samiti leaders G. Shivappa, T. Vijaykumar, Munivenkatappa, Zilla Panchayat member Chowdeshwari, Kannada Sahitya Parishat district president J.G. Nagaraj and Government P.U. College for Boys principal Venkataswamy are prominent among others who participated in the programme.

 

Laudable initiative

G. Shivappa, a lecturer of Government College for Women in Kolar conceived the idea of launching a sustained movement against social evil of untouchability in the region, a largely Dalit inhabited area.

 

The Committee first organised temple-entry programme by Dalits. It was extended to entry of upper caste Hindus to the houses of Dalits and partaking food there. It apparently prompted the then Deputy Commissioner D.K. Ravi to partake food in a Dalit woman's house onOctober 2, Gandhi Jayanthi day in 2014.

 

Such programmes to create awareness among people about the untouchability will be carried out in the days to come and we are planning take it to other districts also, Mr. Shivappa told The Hindu.

 

News monitored by Girish Pant & AJEET

 

 

 

.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")

Pl visit On : 
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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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