A clash broke out between Dalits and Caste Hindus during a funeral procession near Cuddalore on Monday night. Seven people were injured and three of them were admitted to the Cuddalore GH. Following the clash, the body was left on the road for about 45 minutes.

Sources said, "A clash erupted during the funeral procession of Deivanayagam (55), a Dalit resident of Pangattu Colony. When the procession was passing through Unnamalaichetti Chavadi, where Caste Hindus reside, things went out of control."

"It is a practice in this area, when a funeral procession crosses the Ayyanar temple here, drums would not be played and there would be no dancing. The procession should be peaceful without any noise. Contrary to this, the Dalits made noise drawing the ire of the Caste Hindus," sources said.

Following this, both groups started quarrelling and it developed into a clash. They attacked each other and pelted stones. Of the seven injured, three were admitted to hospital and four suffered minor injuries, said the police.

Meanwhile, the dead body was left on the road for around 45 minutes. Police arrived at the spot, after which the situation was brought under control.

The body was taken to the burial ground with police protection.

Police sources said, "There was previous enmity between the two communities regarding this issue."

Deccan Herald

Discrimination over burial ground

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/313050/discrimination-over-burial-ground.html

Udupi, Feb 18, 2013 DHNS:

The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes grievance meet held at Superintendent of Police's office brought out many issues concerning the social status and also atrocities committed against the Dalits in the district.

Dalit members complained that their community people are not allowed to cremate the bodies in the crematorium which is being used by others. The incident has taken place in Bada village in Uchchila near Kaup.

"Members of Mogaveera community are reluctant to allow people hailing from SC/ST community to cremate the bodies of their beloved.

SP Dr Boralingaiah promised to look into the matter. The cremation ground should be open to all, irrespective of caste and creed, he said.

Dalit leader Jayan Malpe said that there was no proper security to Dalits and the law is not in their favour in the district.

"Atrocities against Dalits are increasing never like before in the district and also in the police stations," he alleged, making a general observation.

The SP said he will make arrangements to take action if there are genuine cases.

Dalit members also demanded the suspension or transfer of Heeriyadka Police Inspector for not taking action against the accused who had thrashed a Dalit youth two months ago.

Replyin to the demand, the SP said there were 10 accused, of which two were arrested and eight surrendered before the court.

Zee News

UP gang-rape victim attempts suicide, critical

http://zeenews.india.com/news/uttar-pradesh/up-gang-rape-victim-attempts-suicide-critical_830036.html

Last Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 12:54

Muzaffarnagar: A 21-year-old gang-rape victim was critically injured when she allegedly attempted suicide by jumping before a moving train in Shamli district here, police said Tuesday.

The girl, a Dalit, jumped in front of the moving train on the Delhi-Saharanpur railway line near the Alem railway station yesterday, police said.

She has been shifted to Meerut Medical College in a serious condition, they added.

The girl was allegedly gangraped by two youths-- Kallu and Rajkumar-- at Bharsi village under the Kandhla police station in Shamli district on February 17.

The accused are absconding after the incident. PTI

Zee News

Three arrested for raping 16-year-old girl

http://zeenews.india.com/news/tamil-nadu/three-arrested-for-raping-16-year-old-girl_829738.html

Last Updated: Sunday, February 17, 2013, 21:40

Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu): Three persons were on Sunday arrested on charges of raping a 16-year-old girl near Bommidi, 48 km from here, police said.

The girl was working in a borewell-digging unit at Muthampatti village, 15 km from Bommidi and when she was returning home last night, the 40-year-old owner of the unit along with two others allegedly abducted and raped her.

A case has been registered under IPC section 376 (rape) and SC/ST Harassment Act, police added. PTI

The New Indian Express

Scheme for SC/ST students

http://newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article1468521.ece

By Express News Service - NALGONDA

18th February 2013 12:05 PM

In an endeavour to boost the enrolment ratio, the Central government has introduced a new scheme 'Rajiv Vidya Deevena', to provide scholarships to SC and ST students.

The government will give scholarships to students of 9th and 10th standards belonging to SC and ST community in government schools. The scheme is only for students whose parents earn less than `2 lakh per annum, and the scholarship amount will be deposited in students' bank account.

It was observed that most students discontinue their studies after 8th class owing to financial doldrums.

In the scheme, which is being implemented by the Social Welfare Department, an amount of `150 per month will be given to day scholars and `350 a month to hostellers. The government will also provide financial assistance of `750 to each student for purchasing stationery. The governments are spending crores for maintenance of schools, but admissions and attendance ratio remain hapless.

The Hindu

Bench appoints official to probe child beggars' issue

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/bench-appoints-official-to-probe-child-beggars-issue/article4431274.ece

Special Correspondent

Case taken up suo motu based on news report in The Hindu

The Madras High Court Bench here on Monday appointed an advocate commissioner to ascertain the claim made by Tirunelveli former Collector R. Selvaraj that no child in the district was hired and forced into begging.

The First Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and Justice Chitra Venkataraman made the appointment through an interim order passed in a public interest litigation petition taken up by the court suo motufollowing a news report published in The Hindu on August 19, 2011.

The judges directed advocate commissioner D. Geetha, to conduct a comprehensive enquiry into the issue as the news report had claimed that children in the age group of two to 10 years were hired for Rs. 100 to 125 a day and the practice had become a thriving industry in the district.

Earlier, during the course of hearing, Additional Advocate General K. Chellapandian submitted a report by Mr. Selvaraj who claimed to have taken a serious note of the news report and conducted a meeting with police and social welfare departments, child welfare committee, Child Line and other voluntary organisations on August 22, 2011.

After the meeting, two teams were formed to nab the culprits. These teams caught hold of seven women with eight babies and six children aged between six and 10 years while begging. Enquiries made with the women revealed that the babies were their own. Hence, they were let off with a warning that neither they nor their children should be seen begging in the future.

Apart from them, the two teams rescued an eight-year-old girl who was found begging along with her 19-year-old relative. The minor girl was lodged at Saranalayam, a home run by Tirunelveli Social Service Society, until her mother approached the officials concerned and took her custody a day later, the report stated.

Another case

Passing interim orders in another PIL petition taken up suo motu in 2010, the First Bench directed the Dindigul District Legal Services Authority to verify the claim that Dalits of Meikovilpatti village were denied pathway to a graveyard through non-Dalit localities and also access to an 'Oor Manthai' (a common ground earmarked in villages for public use).

The court had taken up the case following a news report of a Dalit youth having been forced to eat human excreta for walking with his footwear in a residential area occupied by non-Dalits on January 14, 2010. Subsequently, the youth P. Sadayandi (24) got himself included as a party in the case.

His counsel, R. Alagumani, told the court on Monday that as of now a major problem faced by Dalits of the village was over a pathway to the grave yard. He alleged that non-Dalits were refusing to allow the Dalits to carry the dead bodies through the former's residential localities.

--
.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.