Sangrur: The Cheema police on Thursday arrested 49-year-old Gurjant Singh, mathematics teacher at Government Senior Secondary School in Namol near Sunam, for allegedly raping a 14-year-old Dalit student of Class VIII at his residence on December 31 last.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harcharan Singh Bhullar said the police had now included Section 3 (11) and Section 3 (12) of The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act:1989 and Section 5 of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 in the FIR.

Bhullar said the teacher had admitted to committing the crime and would be produced in a court here tomorrow.

Zee News

NAC recommendations on strengthening SC/ST Act

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/nac-recommendations-on-strengthening-sc/st-act_829156.html

Last Updated: Thursday, February 14, 2013, 22:52

New Delhi: Imposing social boycott on Dalits and tribals, obstructing use of common property resources and preventing their entry into temple should attract legal penalty, the National Advisory Council (NAC) has suggested.

In its recommendations on strengthening the SC&STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the NAC working group on Dalit and tribal issues, also demanded a new chapter in the act detailing the rights of victims and witnesses.

The NAC, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, also sought enhanced compensation to victims of atrocities. It suggested that the compensation should not be a fixed amount but adjusted annually to inflation.

The advisory panel also wanted establishment of dedicated courts with powers to take cognisance of offences under the act to hear case of atrocities against Dalits and tribals.

It also wanted the government to make provisions in the Act to ensure that the cases are disposed of within three months from filing of the chargesheet.

It also recommended that relevant IPC offences attracting punishment of less than 10 years committed against SCs and STs should be defined as offences under this act.

The NAC also wanted expansion of the scope of presumption as to whether perpetrator had knowledge of the SC/ST identity of the victim, while committing the offence.

It also suggested strengthening State accountability by clearly defining 'wilful negligence' by public servants.

The Tribune

Valmiki Samaj threatens protest at Moga

Wants door-to-door collection of garbage by A2Z stopped

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130215/ldh1.htm#5

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 14

Members of the Valmiki Samaj Bachao Andolan have threatened that if the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation does not stop A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Ltd from door-to-door collection of garbage in the city, then they would hold a protest against the SAD-BJP government at Moga, where a byelection is scheduled for February 23.

Ever since the A2Z company started its operations in the city, it has been facing flak from the Valmiki Samaj Bachao Andolan as well as private garbage collectors. In some cases, A2Z officials were even attacked and the company had to lift garbage under police protection.

At present, the company is involved in door-to-door collection of garbage in around 25 wards of the city. However, as per the terms and conditions fixed by the MC, the company has to cover its operations in all 75 wards by February 28. With 14 days left for the deadline to end, it seems to be a difficult task for the A2Z company.

Surinder Kalyan, chairman of the Valmiki Samaj Bachao Andolan, claimed that at a meeting between their members and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on October 30, 2011, the state government had promised that it would not allow the company to carry our door-to-door collection of garbage.

He said if the MC failed to stop the A2Z company from door-to-door collection of garbage by February 18, they would hold a protest against the state government at Moga.

News Track India

Atrocities on Dalits: Panel frowns on low conviction rates

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2013/02/12/376--Atrocities-on-Dalits-Panel-frowns-on-low-conviction-rates-.html

Mumbai,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Immigration/Law/Rights, Tue, 12 Feb 2013 IANS

Mumbai, Feb 12 (IANS) Frowning at low conviction rate -- barely six percent -- in atrocities against Dalits, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Tuesday urged the Maharashtra government to expedite investigation and trial in all such cases.

The commission, headed by P.L. Punia, conducted a state-review meeting of various departments in the works done by them for the benefit of people from the Scheduled Castes.

"The investigations in such cases should be completed within a month as per Supreme Court norms. Trials must be expedited in these cases as records indicate that many cases are lost during investigations and prosecution," Punia told media persons after the meeting.

Punia also expressed displeasure with the attitude of the state government towards serious cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes which have come to light.

He said the state's current conviction rate in such atrocities cases stood at six percent, though up from three percent.

"Nearly 1,200 atrocities cases are reported each year in the state. Of these, around 500 are left pending. In order to resolve this situation, there should be exclusive, fast track courts," he said.

Punia was also dismayed at the lack of seriousness shown by the government in resolving issues and problems pertaining to Scheduled Castes.

For instance, he said there had been no meeting between the chief minister and state vigilance committees to discuss atrocities on Scheduled Castes since February 2011.

He also expressed concern that police of various districts have also not been part of such meetings.

The Times Of India

Kancha Ilaiah: Even if 10% dalit children got English education, India would change

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/interviews/Kancha-Ilaiah-Even-if-10-dalit-children-got-English-education-India-would-change/articleshow/18503625.cms

BySwati Mathur | Feb 15, 2013, 12.00 AM IST

Kancha Ilaiah is a political scientist, writer and dalit activist. Speaking with Swati Mathur , Ilaiah discussed the growth of a dalit intellectual group, how this differs from dalit politicians, reservations — and the one ingredient which could make a huge difference to real development:

Recently, as dalit leaders criticised Ashis Nandy's views, you supported his right to free speech — is the dalit intellectual markedly different from the dalit politician?

Well, dalit politics is an older idea. Dalits began emerging within the Congress and socialist parties. Eventually, they didn't get the space they should have, especially in the communist parties. For example, Bengal, where the communists ruled, has seen no prominent dalits in the mainstream political realm.

The dalit intellectual stream is a later development. It required sophisticated education which the political stream did not — for instance, Karpoori Thakur, an almost illiterate barber, became chief minister of Bihar. The dalit intellectual class is emerging. With all the humiliations and the baggage, some are surging into the intellectual space.

I think the connection bet-ween the two groups is B R Ambedkar. He was an outstandingintellectual, yet discriminated against — that's when he organised anti-untouchable movements, entered Parliament and went on to write the Indian Constitution.

But the fact is, at a mass level, at forums like the Jaipur Literature Festival which over a lakh attend, dalits still remain under 0.05%. Dalits have not come to formulate sophisticated thought through novels or story-writing. There's some work in theoretical writing but there's still no dalit intellectual close to where Ambedkar was.

Why is this group growing slowly?

The main barrier is the lack of English education, still a faraway dream for most dalits. The liberal arts aren't an operational zone for dalits. One solution is to encourage dalit children to study the arts. Our educational focus is currently mediated by money, therefore, the interest in civil services, medicine and engineering. But for dalits to emerge as ideologues like Ambedkar, Nehru and Gandhi, a focus on liberal arts is necessary.

Why are several development targets for dalits still unmet?

Well, take someone like Maya-wati who ruled concretely in only one term — it's not easy to fulfil such aspirations in a short span of time. And there's a larger problem of priorities in her politics. The dalit Bahujan wants educational equality, establishing uniformly good schools for all children from nursery to class 12. No amount of land, jobs or money can bring true equality — only education can. To bring dalits on par, the only way is through education.

Mayawati isn't serious about that. But she should recognise this. So should dalit leaders with the Congress, a ruling party which depends heavily on dalits, some in prime positions like Meira Kumar and Sushilkumar Shinde. They must push for the same language of instruction for all children — if upper-caste children are taught in English, we should be too. We're demanding the same environment and opportunities. Then, after 30 years, remove reservations, let there be fair competition — dalit children will manage.

My parents were illiterate shepherds. With one generation of education, look where i am, speaking English, communicating with the world, going places. This is an asset dalit leaders must acknowledge — and harness.

So you'd support continuing reservations?

The dalit's main agenda is not reservations. My way of equality is English education. Even if 10% of our children got English education, the intellectual field would have changed. This country would have changed. My hope is education, not reservation — and i emphasise, English education.

Deccan Chronicle

Study reveals Tamil Nadu low on romance

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130213/news-current-affairs/article/study-reveals-tamil-nadu-low-romance

DC | G. Jagannath | 13th Feb 2013

A study based on the National Family Health Survey revealed that only 2.6 per cent of the marriages in Tamil Nadu were inter-caste weddings as compared to the national incidence of 10 per cent. The state appears at the bottom among the southern neighbours in terms of being socially 'liberal' despite its long Dravidian political influences.

Worse still, among the hottest socio-political debates now going on in Tamil Nadu is whether inter-caste marriages happening out of romance are bad for the people — the backward Vanniyar-dominated PMK insists they are bad while the Dalit party VCK is all for it.

Releasing the study titled, "Dynamics of inter-religious and inter-caste marriages in India", authored by Kumudin Das, K. C. Das, T. K. Roy and P. K. Tripathy, VCK president and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan said it was quite common to expect a state like Tamil Nadu with its progressive social reform movements to have a much higher average of inter caste marriage than the nation's average.

"But shockingly, the state's average is only better than Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan at the national level," he said.

Thirumavalavan said after the Dharmapuri attack on dalit settlement, PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss launched a virulent campaign against dalits stating that youths from the community were targeting caste Hindu girls and they lured them in guise of love marriages to extract money from the girl's family by blackmailing.

"The study reveals that only 1.66 per cent of upper caste women marry men of lower castes," he said.

VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar said of the Rs 750 crore earmarked for all the five marriage assistance schemes in the 2012-13, only `8 crore has been allocated for Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy Ninaivu Inter-caste Marriage assistance scheme.

"Dr Ramadoss claims that most of the caste Hindu women victims hail from Cuddalore. In 2011-12, 186 women from the district availed financial assistance from the scheme in Cuddalore. Of the 186 women, 184 were from dalits and two from Brahmin. This proves Dr Ramadoss' argument is false," he said.

The Hindu

Expedite trials in cases against Dalits: National Commission tells Maharashtra

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra-should-expedite-trials-in-cases-against-dalits-national-commission/article4407615.ece

PTI

Pulling up the Maharashtra government for low conviction rate in atrocity cases against Dalits, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Tuesday asked the State to expedite trials and probe in such cases.

"1,200 cases of atrocities against scheduled castes are reported each year in Maharashtra. Out of them, 500 cases are pending. There should be exclusive and fast-track courts under which priority should be to atrocity cases," Commission's Chairman Dr. P.L. Punia said reporters in Mumbai.

The Commission today conducted a review of various departments of the State government, on the works done by them benefiting the people from scheduled castes.

"Investigation in atrocities against Dalits should be completed within one month. Trials should also be expedited in these cases," Mr. Punia said.

Stating that serious cases of atrocities have come to fore in the State in recent past, he said Maharashtra's current conviction rate in atrocity cases is six per cent, while earlier it was three per cent.

"In heinous crime cases like rape, murder and arson, the State's conviction rate is eight per cent," he added.

Speaking on the Sanoi triple murder case, where Dalit youths were hacked to death, Mr. Punia said the Commission would closely monitor the case.

"If there is thorough investigation we will welcome it. The case should not be kept in cold storage," he said.

Asking Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to hold meetings of State vigilance committee regularly, he said in the last two years the meeting was not convened even once.

"Meetings are also not taking place of the vigilance committees formed at the district level. Deputy Superintendents of Police of respective districts are not attending the meeting," he added.

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