Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 27.05.13
Dalit headmistress alleges caste discrimination - The Hindu
Dalit groom leads marriage procession under police protection - Zee News
Trouble lines up for Dalits at PDS outlet - The New Indian Express
Sukhbir questions panel authority to issue directive - The Hindustan Times
The Hindu
Dalit headmistress alleges caste discrimination
Staff Correspondent
A Dalit headmistress in a government school, who claimed to have been harassed by upper-caste teachers on the basis of caste, alleged that the police inaction led to the case being closed due to "lack of evidence".
Airing her grievance at the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes meet held at the Police Commissioner's office here on Sunday, Kamalakshi, who is the headmistress of Government Higher Primary School in Panelabarike near Konaje, said there was discrimination and harassment by a Brahmin couple, who teach at the school.
"They have shouted swear words at me several times. They do not cooperate in the decisions I take. They have even said that because the government gives us Dalits so many schemes and provisions that we have become arrogant. The two have also pressured the SDMC (School Development and Monitoring Committee) to expel me, so they could drive me out of the village," she claimed.
Though she has been working in the school for six years, the harassment started after the husband-wife duo joined the school in 2011.
After entreaties to the Block Education Officer went in vain, Ms. Kamalakshi filed a complaint against the two at the Konaje Police Station on February 22. However, a week ago, the police eventually filed a B-report in the case. "How can there be no evidence when the SDMC can testify to the insults and threats?" she asked Police Commissioner Manish Kharbikar who chaired the meet.
Though Mr. Kharbikar said there "could be no wrongdoing" on the part of the police in closing the case, he assured the headmistress that the case would be looked into again.
Another allegation of the police bucking to bribes and pressures from influential persons came from Dalit leader Srinivas Shetty, who said the Bajpe police had done little to arrest the main accused in a reportedly illegal sand-mining case.
The accused, who is the president of the Gram Panchayat Chandrahas Shetty, is alleged to have abused fellow member Hariyappa Muthoor, who is Dalit, for having opposed the sand mining.
"Chandrahas Shetty used foul language and even threatened to kill Hariyappa. We filed a complaint with the police on May 18, and an atrocities case was filed. But there have been no arrests. In fact, we hear that the police are in constant touch with the accused," said Mr. Srinivas Shetty. Mr. Kharbikar assured a "detailed probe" into the matter.
Zee News
Dalit groom leads marriage procession under police protection
Last Updated: Sunday, May 26, 2013, 16:
Bundi: Police escorted the marriage procession of a 24-year-old Dalit bridegroom, who was allegedly not allowed to ride on horseback by Gujjar community members in Barwas village.
According to the police, bridegroom Ramesh, belonging to Meghwal community which is categorized under Scheduled Caste, was supposed to wed in Deoli town of Tonk district yesterday.
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When Ramesh was riding on horseback during his marriage procession in Barwas village of Hindoli sub-division on Friday night, he was stopped by some Gujjar community members.
The community members believe that it is an exclusive right of upper castes to ride a horse during wedding procession.
On a complaint of Ramesh's father Udailal Meghwal, a case against two dozen Gujjar community members was registered yesterday under various sections of the IPC and the SC-ST Act, however, no one has been arrested so far in this connection, Station House Officer (SHO), Hindoli police station, Sheeshram Meena said.
The case has been lodged against Kanhaya Gurjar, Laxman Gujar, Kalu Gujar, Narayan Gujar and about 15 others of the same village, the SHO said, adding, raids are being conducted to nab them from suspected locations.
The New Indian Express
Trouble lines up for Dalits at PDS outlet
By Express News Service - THOOTHUKUDI
27th May 2013 09:53 AM
In the continuing incidents of harassment of Dalits, the latest victim seems to be the residents of a colony near Srivaikundam who are being not allowed by caste Hindus to stand in queues and get their monthly quota from the PDS outlet in Velur.
This ill-treatment had become a routine affair, complain Dalit residents of Navaladiyur Colony, who allege that they are often denied permission to stand in queues along with Caste Hindus.
Arumugaraja, a resident of Navaladiyur, said that Caste Hindus often made Dalits stand at the end of a queue while employees of ration shops would only distribute leftovers to them. He demanded that the district administration take steps to open separate ration shops for Dalits at Navaladiyur, Thopudayur, Mariammal Puram and Mudarkarai.
Muthaya, vice-president of Velur panchayat acknowledged that Dalits faced problems at ration shops and said that he would take up the matter with Revenue Department officials to work out alternative arrangements.
The Hindustan Times
Sukhbir questions panel authority to issue directive
Jasdeep Singh Malhotra, Hindustan Times
Jalandhar, May 26, 2013
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes' 'directive' to the Punjab government to fill 40,000 backlog vacancies for scheduled castes (SCs) by July-end, has acquired political overtones.
Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said that the commission had no
'authority' to direct the state government on filling such posts.
"The commission has no authority to direct the state government on filling backlog vacancies. The state government will assess its administrative requirements and fill such posts accordingly," Sukhbir said.
Political observers said that Sukhbir's stance was an indicator of state's reluctance to fill these posts and the opposition was likely to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha polls to discredit the SAD-BJP alliance.
"I have not challenged the state's authority. The state stands exposed with Sukhbir's denial to fill these vacant posts. Just regularising safai sewaks in civic bodies does not mean that state is providing government jobs to Dalits. Punjab is the only state in India that does not have its own pro-Dalit welfare scheme," commission vice-chairman Raj Kumar Verka, who is also a Congress MLA, alleged.
He claimed that soon the commission will publicize data related to the review of the state's performance on the implementation of Dalit welfare schemes, as perhaps a move to regain lost ground among the community/
"The Congress has been regularly raising Dalits' issues in the media, while holding protests against discrimination. The alliance may find it difficult to ignore interests of Dalits, who constitutes 33% of Punjab's population while government's fiscal health may not allow it to fill 40,000 backlog posts," Congress insiders said.
Punjab BSP president Parkash Singh Jandali welcomed the commission's intervention. "The move is not likely to benefit the Congressmen only. All will benefit. The government must fill these backlog posts immediately. It is our right," he added.
Interestingly, Dalit ministers and MLAs of the ruling combine have preferred to keep a low-profile on the issue and have issue no statement.
Verka's another statement, on implementing the 85th Constitutional amendment with regard to promotion of SC employees from 1998 onwards, is also being viewed as an attempt to woo educated Dalits to the Congress. Punjab had implemented the scheme in 2006.
--
.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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