Dalits Media Watch

News Updates 12.06.15

Gangraped victim climbs water tank for justice- The Hindustan Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/gangraped-girl-climbs-on-water-tank-for-justice/article1-1357715.aspx

10 Held for Abusing Minor Girl - The New Indian Express

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/10-Held-for-Abusing-Minor-Girl/2015/06/12/article2861985.ece

N'pada Dalits stage stir, seek B'ngir girl killers' arrest- The Pioneer

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/npada-dalits-stage-stir-seek-bngir-girl-killers-arrest.html

Yatra against caste violence- The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/yatra-against-caste-violence/article7307406.ece

Maharashtra's poor record- Frontline

http://www.frontline.in/social-issues/maharashtras-poor-record/article7297974.ece

Transgender rights bill next session- Asian Age

http://www.asianage.com/india/transgender-rights-bill-next-session-910

Dalits slam Govt for not ensuring their safety- The Pioneer

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/dalits-slam-govt-for-not-ensuring-their-safety.html

Odisha SC sub-plan fund use far from satisfactory- The Pioneer

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/odisha-sc-sub-plan-fund-use-far-from-satisfactory.html

Please Watch :

Ensure Land distribution to the Dalits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Shm35e5yg

Note : Please find attachment for HINDI NEWS UPDATES (PDF)

The Hindustan Times

Gangraped victim climbs water tank for justice

http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/gangraped-girl-climbs-on-water-tank-for-justice/article1-1357715.aspx

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Lucknow, Updated: Jun 12, 2015 10:14 IST

In a bid to demand justice, a 20-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly gangraped, climbed on the overhead tank of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital. Alleging that local police were helping the accused and had even manipulated the names in her complaint, she threatened to end her life.

The girl remained at the tank for over three hours  and came down only after police officials promised to provide her justice and initiate an inquiry against the erring cops. Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered on the spot and work at the hospital remained disrupted for some time following the incident.

The girl was upset as she had been repeatedly travelling 240 kilometres from her native village in Ambedkarnagar to Lucknow for a month but failed to persuade the cops to initiate action against the culprits.

The girl is three months pregnant after being allegedly raped and held hostage by three persons for several months.

According to the victim, three persons, Vinod Dubey, Ranjeet Verma alias Lallu Verma and Govind, had kidnapped her from her house and held her captive in a room for over three months, during which time she became pregnant.

Around a month back, the victim escaped and tried to register an FIR against the trio at Mahrua police station of Ambedkarnagar, but the cops there did not entertain her compliant.

It was only when she approached the SC/ST Commission, Human Rights Commission and DGP AK Jain in Lucknow that the FIR was registered but the girl claimed the local police manipulated the content of her complaint. She said she had accused Dubey, Verma and Govind in her complaint but the police while registering the FIR named Govind Kumar, his brother Bahadur and his parents and floated a false story about her having had a love affair with Govind.

"Cops said I had married Govind against my family's will and was abandoned by his family when he left for Punjab to take up a job. However, I did not marry anybody. The three accused kidnapped me and raped me for months," she said and added that she had climbed the tank, as even senior police officials were not ready to believe her.

Meanwhile, Ambedkarnagar superintendent of police Pankaj Kumar told HT on phone that the FIR had been lodged as per the application submitted by the girl and proper action had been initiated in the matter but then the girl had suddenly started telling another story of being gangraped by three persons.

Kumar said the police probe so far suggested that Dubey and Verma had no involvement in the matter but detailed investigation was still going on.

The New Indian Express

10 Held for Abusing Minor Girl

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/10-Held-for-Abusing-Minor-Girl/2015/06/12/article2861985.ece

By Express News Service

Last Updated: 12th June 2015 08:30 AM

IDUKKI: Four persons, including an ITI student, were arrested in Kattappana here on Thursday in connection with the sexual abuse case of a 16-year-old, Scheduled Caste, Plus-II student.

With the earlier arrests of six, total number of arrests till date makes 10, according to reports.

Pulikkal Sudheesh, 20, an ITI student from Anakkara, Pallipparambil Arun, 20, of Vallakkadavu Thoonkuzhy, Kanappallil, and Sanumon alias Manikkuttan, 24, of Pezhumkavala area, belonging to Kattappana village, and Edasseril Somarajan, 51, of Kizhakkekavala of Parathod village were the suspects arrested on Thursday.

However, Pattarukandathil Jins, 22, his brother Prince, 20, of Nariampara, Kattappana, Palatharayil Robin, 25, of Nariyampara in Kanchiyar, Karukkancheriyil Santhosh, 32, of Upputhara Mathaipara, Vadakkemandapathil Jomon, 27, of Sagara Theatre junction, Kattappana, and Kakkaravayalil Vijayakumar, 30, of Kalkoonthal, Nedunkandam, were reportedly arrested late Wednesday.

Three auto rickshaws used to take the victim to various places were also taken into custody by the police.

According to DySP Lal A G, the girl has identified all the ten accused and cases were registered under IPC sections 363, 364 A, 366 A, 376 A and 376 D, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 Sections 5(g), 5 (l), 6 and 8, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 Section 3 (XI).

After taking the victim for medical examination, the police have reportedly taken statement from the girl in the presence of the Kattappana Judicial First Class Magistrate.

The Pioneer

N'pada Dalits stage stir, seek B'ngir girl killers' arrest

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/npada-dalits-stage-stir-seek-bngir-girl-killers-arrest.html

The Dom Gana Samaj, a Dalit association of Nuapada district, on Wednesdayorganised a protest meeting at Khariar against the Government failure to nab culprits, who had raped and killed a 15-year-old girl of Sargipali village under Balangir district's Khaprakhol block a fortnight ago.

Snehalata (15), a student of local school, was spearheading a movement against the local liquor mafias. Some miscreants raped and murdered her on May 22. 

The agitators demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. They submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister, to the BDO, demanding a CBI probe into the case, compensation of `20 lakh to the deceased girl's family and a thorough inquiry into all atrocity cases happened in the last 10 years in Balangir district.

The rally was led by youth leader Kamal Lochan Tandib and former NAC Chairman Nimai Charan Tandi. Dalit leaders Ghanashyam Bhitria, Khuturam Sunani and Goriamani Sagaria spoke at the meeting.

The Hindu

Yatra against caste violence

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/yatra-against-caste-violence/article7307406.ece

Staff Reporter

The All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch embarked on the 'Dalit Adivasi Mahila Swabhiman' yatra on Thursday.

They covered 3,000 km across 11 districts of Odisha, alleging that the State police were indifferent to the sufferings of victims belonging to the lower caste.

"I have come across full spectrum of caste violence. The women have particularly been at the receiving end in Odisha in the last 10 days. To my utter shock, I have met survivors and victims of every type of violence, including kidnap, rape, murder, sexual assault, stripping, beating, verbal abuse, untouchability and discrimination," said Asha Kowtal, General Secretary of AIDMAM, addressing a press conference here.

Ms Kowtal said, "In a recent chilling and inhuman crime, no headway has been made to apprehend perpetrators of the alleged rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Sargipally village of Bolangir district. The rape was as barbaric as the Nirbhaya case in New Delhi. But the police are silent and soft on perpetrators of caste-based violence."

AIDMAM members, who have travelled to 11 districts in the past 10 days, observed that violence against Dalit women is often a tool in the hands of the dominant caste to instil fear, maintain status quo, control access to resources and reinforce the caste hegemony.

"We have observed this in Zabara village of Jajpur district where women are fighting hard to save the common grazing land. Many of the women complained to us that instead of arresting the accused, the police have filed false cases against them," said AIDMAM general secretary.

The manch demanded that government should strengthen the institutional mechanism (exclusive special courts) for the protection and security of dalit and tribal women in the State by making special budgetary provisions.

The State government should amend the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Government officers found neglecting their duty and responsibility wilfully in cases concerning caste-based gender violence should be taken to task.

Frontline

Maharashtra's poor record

http://www.frontline.in/social-issues/maharashtras-poor-record/article7297974.ece

By Lyla Bavadam

Interview with Anand Teltumbde, writer and civil rights activist. By LYLA BAVADAM

ANAND TELTUMBDE, writer and civil rights activist with the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights in Mumbai, has written extensively on Dalit issues. He is unsparing in his analysis even if it means highlighting the ills in the Dalit community. Excerpts from an interview he gave Frontline:

In the past 12 months there have been at least seven recorded incidents of the killing of Dalits in Maharashtra that are clearly caste-related. What does this say about the liberal State of Maharashtra?

Maharashtra has falsely acquired an image of a liberal and progressive State. Its record in repressiveness is rather infamous. It is the land that produced Hindutva ideology; most of its proponents have been born here. The very fact that [Jyotirao] Phule and [B.R.] Ambedkar were born in Maharashtra could also be construed as a response to this innate repressiveness. Even the birth of the Dalit Panthers in the 1970s was tangibly in response to the caste atrocities that happened in the previous year. As regards caste atrocities, Maharashtra is at best a middling State.

What is the rate of conviction in cases of atrocities against Dalits in the State?

I am not aware, but it has to be extremely low. There are no authentic figures; the available figures vary widely. In any case, the so-called conviction rate needs to be defined. For instance, the lower court may punish the culprits, but they may be acquitted by the High Court.

Firstly, the dynamics of caste atrocities need to be understood. Only cases that ignited a public hue and cry are discussed. My analysis of Khairlanji tells me that invariably the real culprits are sheltered and some dummy people are projected as criminals. If there is public attention, the lower court invariably awards them harsh punishments, which may not be warranted in law based on the facts of the investigation. When the case goes in appeal to the higher court, the punishment is usually annulled. Khairlanji illustrates certain aspects of this process, but the recent judgments of the Patna High Court acquitting all the Ranvir Sena criminals in the ghastly massacres of Dalits [in Bathani Tola] in Bihar that took place in the 1990s do it far better. Actually, right from the first case of this new genre of atrocity, Keezhvenmani in Tamil Nadu in December 1968, there is no justice done to Dalits in atrocity cases despite the legal facade raised with the so-called Atrocity Act. This Act with teeth also is rendered toothless by the system.

All the assailants in the seven cases mentioned are either Maratha or OBC. Can you explain this trend please? In the caste structure they are just one step 'higher' than Dalits and so some degree of empathy would naturally be expected, but this does not seem to be the case. Can this anger be linked to the fact that Dalits are making a successful effort to improve themselves?

It is always the B.C./OBC who has been perpetrating violence against Dalits. It is not just one step being higher than Dalits. That one step defines the kink in caste hierarchy, which divides caste and non-caste, touchable and untouchable. B.Cs/OBCs that interface Dalits in villages matter more than the so-called upper castes like Brahmins. Even in Phule's days, the combination of Shudras and Ati-Shudras that he carved out did not work. It is the basic reason that a separate Dalit movement had to spring up. During the post-Independence decades, the political-economic changes that befell the agrarian sector aggravated this divide and brought Shudras in material contradiction vis-a-vis Dalits.

I have amply explained this process in my writings and explained what caused Keezhvenmani and all the atrocities thereafter. The land reforms, for instance, were implemented to carve out a class of rich farmers in villages as an ally of the central ruling class, and the Green Revolution, a capitalist strategy in agriculture, on the one hand enriches this class and, on the other, denudes Dalits of the traditional safeguard of the jajmani system inherent in the caste system. The class contradictions between Dalits and the Shudra-caste rich farmers begin manifesting through the familiar fault lines of castes. Every incident of caste atrocity may not explicitly expose these equations but they will be at the root in some way. In fact, the entire gamut of politics after the 1960s is explainable within this framework of political economy.

Asian Age

Transgender rights bill next session

http://www.asianage.com/india/transgender-rights-bill-next-session-910

Jun 12, 2015 |

A bill giving rights to transgenders will be tabled during the next session of Parliament, Union minister of social justice and empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot said Thursday.

"We have proposed bringing an act for welfare of transgenders. A special committee constituted for looking into this issue, has completed four meetings in which several matters were discussed. We will be introducing a bill for transgenders in the upcoming Monsoon Session," Mr Gehlot said addressing a press conference highlighting his ministry's achievements in the last one year.

The ministry is creating an umbrella scheme for the educational, economic and social empowerment of transgender community.

Noting that the Centre has filed a review petition seeking clarifications on the Supreme Court order on creating third category for transgenders, Mr Gehlot said a private member bill, which was passed in Rajya Sabha, would be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha in the upcoming Parliament session.

After 36 years, a private member bill seeking to protect the rights of transgenders was passed despite government's initial resistance in the Rajya Sabha in April.

Mr Gehlot also said that the Government would bring the Rights to Persons with Disabilities Bill, which was sent to the standing committee in the upcoming monsoon session.

Though the bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2014, it was sent to the standing committee for further consultations.

The standing committee submitted its report to Parliament last month.

This apart, a draft bill titled Persons in Destitution (Protection, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill has been circulated to state governments in April this year for comments to prepare a central legislation on the subject.

A historical building in Britain, in which dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar had stayed, would be acquired for converting into a memorial, Mr Gehlot said.

"When Ambedkar was studying in Britain, he stayed in a house between 1921-22. The house owner is ready to sell the property for around `40 crore," he said.

The Pioneer

Dalits slam Govt for not ensuring their safety

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/dalits-slam-govt-for-not-ensuring-their-safety.html

Coming down heavily on the State Government for turning a blind eye to the severe caste atrocities on ST, SC and Dalit people, the All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) on Thursday appealed to all stakeholders to ensure that Dalit and tribal girls and women are safe in the State.

Manch national coordinator Anju Singh told reporters here, "During our visit to 45 villages in 11 districts in the State recently, we found brutal and heinous crimes particularly against Dalit and tribal women. The utter failure of the police and administration in securing justice to the victims of caste violence is highly condemnable."

Odisha Forum for Social Action convenor Ajaya Kumar Singh maintained that there is an overarching fear and insecurity not just among the atrocity survivors but also among the Dalit Adivasi communities as the perpetrators of caste-based gender violence make a mockery of the criminal justice delivery system.

They urged the Government to strengthen institutional mechanism and demanded that provision of a special budgetary package for them be made.

"We demand stringent action against the offenders, adequate compensation and proper rehabilitation to the atrocity victims along with Government jobs as per Rules 12(4) of SCs & STs (PoA), provision of special Component Plan, amendment to the PoA Act and stringent punishment for Government officials for negligence," said Singh.

The Manch also demanded that Dalit and tribal communities be represented in the State Commission for Women, the Commission for Child Rights Protection, a strong monitoring mechanism to check pregnancy cases in SC/ST Ashram schools and hostels for Dalit and Muslim students in every block with proportionate pre- and post-metric scholarships.  

The Pioneer

Odisha SC sub-plan fund use far from satisfactory

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/odisha-sc-sub-plan-fund-use-far-from-satisfactory.html

Dr BR Ambedkar's 125th  birth  centenary year has been celebrated by political parties in Delhi and his birth place at Mhow of Madhya Pradesh. Lots of discussions are happening over vision of Ambedkar on annihilation of caste towards achieving social democracy in India. The vision of building a democracy is not possible without addressing social inequality that has been continuing in our social structure.

The Constitution of India has made a number of provisions in terms of protection and development leading to social equality. In spite of efforts of last 65 years by the Government, it has been identified by a number of studies that Scheduled Castes (SC) are lagging behind in every aspect of human development in comparison to other caste Hindu social groups. In order to bridge the socio-economic gap, along with other measures, Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) was introduced in 1979 by the Central Government. There has been provision that the annual budgets of the Central and State Governments must have allocation of funds exclusively for SCs as per the percentage of their population at State and national level.

These funds have to be allocated by each ministry and department in the State and the funds cannot be diverted for other purposes. The spending of the funds should target individual household, communities and areas having large concentration of SCs. There has been special Central assistance to the SC sub plan received from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment by the State. But unfortunately, the Government of Odisha has not been following any of the guideline in spending of SCSP in the State. It is a crime against 17.13 per cent of the population of the State which has been victims of historical injustice and continued State apathy. There is not a single scheme being implemented out of State fund, mostly all the Central Government schemes are being implemented by the State.

There has been no attempt by the State to develop specific schemes out of own fund like other States in India. The State Scheduled Caste Welfare Advisory Board headed by the Chief Minister with SC MPs and MLAs as its members is virtually non-functional. Even the routine annual seating is not being conducted. The meeting of State Vigilance and Monitoring Committee headed by the Chief Minister under the provisions of SCs and STs (PoA) Act, 1989 and Rules, 1995, is also not being conducted regularly to discuss the matters relating to atrocities against SCs and STs in the State. The enforcement of PCR Act against untouchability is equally weak in the State due to lack political commitments for social cause.

There are 25 SC MLAs in the Odisha Assembly with 23 of them representing BJD. Two of them only two are Ministers, including one in Cabinet rank and the other in State rank. The SC/ST Development Department is with a State Minister which shows an attitude of less importance to the development of the Dalits by the BJD Government. The elected MPs and MLAs form SC reserve constituencies, chosen by the ruling parties, are made voiceless by the party boss with threat of denial of party ticket for next election. The Congress and BJP have one SC MLA each.

The SCSP funds should ideally be spent on education, employment and livelihood development of SCs towards achieving equality. There has been no initiative by the Government to develop innovative schemes and programmes for the all round development of SCs based on information and research feedback from academics, policy makers and CSOs. As such the State has not yet developed a Scheduled Caste Development Policy or Vision Document for SCs development integrating it with the overall development of the State. The SCs and STs Research and Training Institute(SCSTRTI) ever since its existence in 1952 has done no research on SC development, except organizing few training camps and workshops by the help of nonprofit organizations. The critical information and inputs on SC development based on research has been callously neglected.

The SC and ST Finance Development Cooperative Corporation Ltd since its inception in 1979, while SCSP was introduced, with its declared objective of SC development along with focus on scavengers has been depending on the assistance of National Scheduled Caste Finance Development Corporation. The placement linked skill development training programme by OSCFDC for last five years from 2011 to 2015 shows that less than 50 per cent of its target has been achieved with about only 20 per cent placement. In spite of Supreme Court's directives there has been non implementation of Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 in the State. The Central Government grants and schemes for SCs and specially scavengers are not being implemented properly and criminally delayed and non-utilized by the bureaucracy.

There has been no innovation in the schemes and caste-based non-viable traditional occupations are routinely encouraged by the department. SC development is more linked to education, as a vast majority of SCs are illiterate and depending on physical labour for livelihood. Education also is one of the most important means of social change and in order to bring change in socio–economic life of scheduled caste, there have been provisions of reservation in educational institutions and other supports such as scholarship to SC students.

A majority of SC students mostly depend on Government run schools as day scholar and very few on residential schools run by the SSD Department. The primary education is the foundation for every child based on which the future education can be built up but unfortunately primary education system is not encouraging for  SC children due to lack of Government initiative in addressing poverty and social discrimination in primary schools. The SC day scholar students of class 6th and 7th get Rs150 per year and class 8th get Rs200 per year as pre-matric scholarship.

It is declared that the parents of such students should not be income tax payee. The SSD Department report revealed that from 2014 to 2015 there were 6, 25,590 SC students who got Rs6,811 lakh as pre matric scholarship. Many States like Karala, AP, TN and Telangana have been spending much more on pre matric scholarship. Even they pay it from class one for the day scholars.

SC population's livelihood is closely connected to land but unfortunately there has been no land distribution programme and the protective laws for the share croppers. A vast majority of rural SC households are engaged as share croppers in agriculture. There are lakhs of homestead less household living over unauthorized habitations without homestead land patta and possession to securely construct a house. A vast majority of SC farmers have small holdings and mostly depend on share cropping but there has been no protection for the share croppers who suffer all kinds of loss during manmade and natural disasters and undergoes exploitations since generations in the absence of State protection.

The SC families in forest area are facing problem to get reorganization as other traditional forest dwellers to get forest land under FRA Act and the Government is knowingly showing discriminatory attitude towards the land less forest dwellers. The Government of Telangana has allocated Rs3,321 crore for SC development out of which Rs1,000 crore has been allocated for purchase of land for land less SC families in the State. The Telangana Government has spent Rs94.45 crore for distributing 2,524 acres of land among 959 SC families in the year 2014-2015. Though there is a land purchase scheme for land less household but this has not been implemented by Government of Odisha.

The State Government should prepare a vision document involving all concerned for the development of the historically marginalized social groups in order to ensure their development at par with others. The Government must have the commitment in implementing all the protective legislations and development plans such as SCSP as an integral part of the overall development of the State towards achieving inclusive growth.

(The writer is a researcher and rights activist who can be mailed atmanasbbsr15@gmail.com)

News Monitored by Girish Pant & AJEET

When Truth is Made a Casualty

7 Jun 2015  0 commentsShare |      

Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace(CNDP), India              

​

For immediate release | 12 June 2015

We are shocked at the level of jingoism being peddled by the ministers of the Modi government, members of the ruling BJP and sections of the mainstream media in India over the recent action by the Indian army in Manipur.

While several questions are being raised and newer facts are emeging as the details still unfold – whether or not it was a cross-border case of hot-pursuit, whether it was a retaliatory or a pre-emptive action etc, the manner in which this action is being linked to a general justification of such hot pursuit vis-a-vis Pakistan and China is deplorable and dangerous.

India and Pakistan are both nuclear-armed nations, with such close geographical proximity that a nuclear exchange between both would lead to large-scale devastation and irreversible climatic changes. And as the post-Pokharan history of South Asia suggests, the rhetoric and escalation of conventional war has a real potential to lead to nuclear sabre-rattling.

The fact that this action was carried out against India's own alienated citizens and not some external enemy itself is far from being a cause of jubilation. For real peace in longer term, we demand that the Armed Forces Special Power Act(AFSPA) must be removed immediately from the North East and Kashmir and sustained and open dialogue with people in the regions be initiated at the earliest.

For CNDP

Achin Vanaik
Praful Bidwai
Lalita Ramdas
Anil Chaudhary
Abey George
Kumar Sundaram

Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament & Peace (CNDP)

A-124/6, First Floor, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi - 110016, Ph: 011-65663958, Telefax: 011-26517814

E-mail: cndpindia@gmail.com, Website: www.cndpindia.org

Dalits Media Watch

News Updates 13.06.15

Two dalit youths shot dead in dispute over Rs 4- The Times Of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-dalit-youths-shot-dead-in-dispute-over-Rs-4/articleshow/47651158.cms

14-year-old girl's body found hanging from tree in Badaun- Hindustan Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/14-year-old-girl-s-body-found-hanging-from-tree-in-badaun/article1-1358003.aspx

Dalit-Adivasi Women Rise Up: A Swabhiman Yatra Across Odisha- Counter Current

http://www.countercurrents.org/pr120615.htm

Two get life term for honour killing, judgment copy a week later- Hindustan Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/newdelhi/two-get-life-term-for-honour-killing-judgment-copy-a-week-later/article1-1358073.aspx

New mines law: Opportunities galore for local growth- The Pioneer

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/new-mines-law-opportunities-galore-for-local-growth.html

Please Watch :

Meeting on Dalit Reality-discrimination by caste in Delhi 2014 - Part 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93VVLWo5n8c

Note : Please find attachment for HINDI NEWS UPDATES (PDF)

The Times Of India

Two dalit youths shot dead in dispute over Rs 4

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-dalit-youths-shot-dead-in-dispute-over-Rs-4/articleshow/47651158.cms

GHOORPUR (Allahabad): A clash over payment of mere Rs 4 turned deadly when a group of brahmans fired at two dalits, killing them, and injuring three others in Mohddinpur village in Ghoorpur, 25 km from Allahabad on Friday. 

In the backlash that followed, angry dalit mobs set fire to the flour mill and a portion of the house of the people who had shot and killed the dalits. Four people, including the main accused, Suresh Dubey, were arrested, and heavy police force was deployed in the village.

 
Rahul was a BSc student while Ashu had cleared his intermediate. Rajat and Vikas Bhartiya, and another youth injured in the attack, were admitted to a nursing home where their condition was said to be stable.

Trouble began when Rajat (22) reached the flour unit of Suresh and Rakesh Dubey and demanded 154kg of flour that he had given them for grinding on Thursday.

When Suresh told them the cost of grinding was Rs 154, Rajat paid him Rs 150 and said the remaining Rs 4 would follow. At this, Suresh began arguing with Rajat and allegedly made some coarse remarks. Rajat left and returned to the shop with Rs 20, and allegedly threw it at Suresh's face, asking him to take his Rs 4 and return the rest.

Feeling insulted, Suresh and his brothers attacked Rajat with a sharp edged weapon, leaving him bleeding.

Suresh then ran to his cousins Rahul, Ashu, Gulab, Vikas and others, exhorting them for revenge. When the relatives and other villagers saw Rajat bleeding, they moved towards Dubey's mill and surrounded the house and the shop.

Sensing danger, Suresh took out his licensed double barreled gun and fired from the terrace twice, killing Rahul and Shubham instantly. Hearing the gun shots, other villagers came out of their houses and attacked and flour unit and set the house of Dubeys on fire.

A case was lodged with Ghoorpur Police under relevant Sections. The licenced weapon used in the crime was seized. 

Senior police officers including SP Ashutosh Mishra, rushed to the spot with heavy police force and brought the controlled the situation.

Hindustan Times

14-year-old girl's body found hanging from tree in Badaun

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/14-year-old-girl-s-body-found-hanging-from-tree-in-badaun/article1-1358003.aspx

A year after two Badaun cousins were found hanging from a tree in the village, the body of a 14-year-old Dalit girl was found hanging from an acasia tree in the Badaun region on Thursday evening, police said. The body had injury mark on the cheeks and neck, police said.

The girl's father, however, did not want police action in the matter. Murder after rape was feared in the case, a source in the police department said.

Police said that action would be taken on the basis of a post-mortem examination.

A resident of Chichaita village, the girl went to a field near her house at around3pm on Thursday. When she did not return till late evening, her family members searched for her.

The girl's father later found the body and took it down without informing the police.

Police officer Satyadev Yadav said the girl's father had denied any enmity with anyone and stressed that he did not want any action in the matter.

Counter Current

Dalit-Adivasi Women Rise Up: A Swabhiman Yatra Across Odisha

http://www.countercurrents.org/pr120615.htm

Dalit Adivasi Mahila Swabhiman Yatra travelled more than 3000 kms across 11 districts of Odisha, conducted more than 45 village/street meetings, several public rallies in towns and submitted memorandum at District Collectorate of all districts. The Yatra team comprising of Dalit leaders from Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, volunteers, leaders and cultural activists from Odisha and several Dalit Adivasi community women leaders who travelled from village to village, town to town, district to district are now witness to brutal and heinous crimes against Dalits & Adivasi's and Dalit women in particular.

We have shed tears and shared pain with the victims – survivors and their family members. We have shared the grief of losing lives of young daughters, mothers and wives to the clutches of the evil caste system.

The team has also expressed their anger and anguish at the utter failure of the Odisha police and administration in securing justice to the victims of caste violence. From wilful negligence of duties to the complicit in the violence against the women and young girls; and the indifference by the investigation officers, doctors, administrative officials was observed in several cases. It is shocking to note that the team came across with uncooperative police and officers who were unwilling to listen to the pleas of the victims-survivors.

Asha Kowtal, Gen. Sec. All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch expressed her disgust saying, ' Past ten days in Odisha reveals the full spectrum of caste violence, particularly the women. To my utter shock, I have met survivors and victims of every sort of violence, including kidnap, rape, murder, sexual assault, stripping, naked parading, beating, verbal abuse, untouchability and discrimination.'

Gayatri, a 27 year old rape survivor in Kendrapada district explained, ' I have been running from pillar to post demanding the arrest of the accused but there is nobody in the administration to hear my cries of justice. The perpetrator is scot free and I am struggling by myself to maintain my life and dignity.'

Violence against Dalit women is often a tool in the hands of the dominant caste people to induce fear, maintain status quo, control access to resources and reinforce the caste hegemony. Bodies of Dalit women are often the sites on which caste wars are fought. We have observed this in Zabara village of Jajpur district in which women are fighting hard to to save the common grazing land. Many of the women said, ' Instead of arresting the accused, who created hell for us by beating our people, the police have filed false cases against us. How can we expect a safe, secure and dignified life, when the entire system is working against us?'

Police inaction and purposeful negligence in the investigations reveal severe lapses in the implementation of the SC/ST PoA Act. Absolute lack of relief, legal support, compensations, pyscho social support has left the community in deep trauma, fear and state of hopelessness.

Ms. Anju Singh, National Coordinator, AIDMAM exclaimed, ' Where should we Dalits and Adivasi's go to seek justice? This is a utter shame of the Odisha Government for turning a blind eye to the severe caste atrocities.

What is the use of special legal provisions when none of them are of any meaning for me and my community?'

We note that several instances of caste based violence against women. There is an increasing insecurity and vulnerability among the women and young children in different corners of Odisha such as the issues in a village in Jajpur district, where a small altercation involving Dalit youth led to violent attack by dominant caste people on Dalit colony; destroying houses and brutally assaulting the women and children. Worse still, the culprits went even to the extent; one of the Dalit women was stripped and paraded naked. She said, 'Not a single officer has visited us since the incident. In fact we are living in constant fear of the bullies. They have also imposed social boycott on us and we can't even go to the nearby shops. The violence has shattered our lives adding to already stricken by poverty..'

Young wives and mothers of little children are battling alone in search of justice for their murdered and seriously injured husbands. Both in Kendrapada and Jajpur districts, we learnt that there is no financial compensation and relief, no legal support nor medical assistance provided while the perpetrators have impunity. It is sad to note the police have closed their eyes.

In the recent chilling and inhuman case, there is no head way into the 15 years girl of Sargipally village in Bolangir district.

Caste is not cultural, but criminal. The caste based gender violence perpetrators seem to think otherwise.

These few instances of caste violence represent only the tip of the iceberg ! This cross section of cases of violence committed against Dalits Adivasi historically is deep seated in Odisha. Untouchability practices of various forms including discrimination in schools, anganwadi's, shops and hotels, access to water in public places, renting houses in villages and towns, entering places of worship are rampantly practised in many villages.

There is huge surge of trafficking of young girls to other states due to rising of drop outs and abject poverty.

Ajaya Kumar Singh, Convenor - Odisha Forum for Social Action said, ' For the last ten days, the Dalit Adivasi Mahila caravan that visited from villages to villages, towns to towns, meeting the victims survivors to community leaders; from civil society groups to district officials. There is an overarching fear and insecurity not just among the victims survivors but also among the dalit adivasi communities as the perpetrators of the caste based gender violence make mockery of criminal justice delivery system The executives and the police if not complicit remain indifference and callousness to the atrocities giving rise to untold sufferings and increased violences. The caste based gender violences could only be addressed if civil society and human rights groups come together to make the duty bearers accountable as well as right holders aware of the due rights and equality. Sure, the Yatra has brought in a new energy to carry on the struggles for equity and dignity.

This 10 days caravan that ended in candle Rally in Bhubaneswar and intense mobilisation of community on the ground leaves us with the hope of collective action in breaking impunity by calling out the authorities to take immediate action in curbing violence against Dalit women and monitor the policies meant to protect and deliver justice to the victims-survivors.

Our Demands:

1. Govt must strengthen the institutional mechanism (Exclusive Special Courts) for the protection and security of Dalit and Tribal women in the state through establishing the special cell through allocating special budgetary package for the same.

2. As the number of rape cases in Odisha is increasing day by day in the State, hence police must take proactive steps to create an atmosphere and environment to ensure that Dalits /Tribal girls and women are safe.

3. It is saddening to note that, there are no head ways for horrible inhuman tragedy to the Dalit young girls of Sargipali village of Bolangir. Hence we demand a stringent and urgent action against those perpetrators.

4. Adequate compensation and proper rehabilitation must be ensuring to the Atrocity victims along with a Govt job as per Rules 12(4) of SCs & STs (PoA).

5. Special Component Plan should be legislated in the State of Odisha. 50% budget should be reserved for women and direct schemes for their empowerment should be introduced.

6. Govt should amend the PoA Act and strengthen the implementation of PoA Act in the state.

7. Stringent punishment should be given to the Govt officers for their wilful negligence of their duties & responsibilities on deliver justice to the victims-survivors of caste based gender violences.

8. There is no representation of Dalits and Adivasi communities in all the existing commissions including Women Commission, Children Commission and other bodies; thus these commissions become cover up bodies rather ensure justice for the victims survivors even though they communities constitute nearly half of the population in the state.

9. The sexual violence and pregnancy cases against Dalit and Tribal minor girls in SC/ST Ashram schools are continuously increasing in different districts in the state. Hence we demand that Govt must set up a strong monitoring mechanism to ensure that, these children are safe and well protected.

10. Govt should establish hostels for the minority children of Dalit and Muslim origin in every block with a proportionate pre and post metric scholarship.

11. The officials purposefully interpreted wrongly in the FRA to deny the land rights to Dalits, who have been inhabitated in the same areas for centuries. Thus, we demand the land rights for the Dalits in the same.

12. It is a very sad thing that, due to the caste system and untochability practice in the state, the rented houses are not being provided to Dalits and Tribals resulting huge exclusion. Therefore Govt should amend the PoA to give justice to these marginalised communities in the state.

Asha Kotwal, General Secretary, All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, New Delhi

Ajaya kumar Singh, Convenor, Odisha Forum for Social Action, Bhubaneswar

Hindustan Times

Two get life term for honour killing, judgment copy a week later

http://www.hindustantimes.com/newdelhi/two-get-life-term-for-honour-killing-judgment-copy-a-week-later/article1-1358073.aspx

A week ago, two middle-aged men were found guilty of honour killing and handed life terms by a city court. The court observed that the boy had been killed by the men because he was a different caste and had married one of their female relatives, despite objections.

The convicts, the father of the girl Satpal Singh and her uncle Neeraj, were also slapped with fines of Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000. Satpal was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and Neeraj was charged with murder and possession of an illegal firearm," said advocate Suresh Sisodia who is representing two co-accused in the case.

The duo was sentenced by additional sessions judge Neena Bansal Krishna on June 6. The judge, however, till Friday had failed to supply a copy of the judgment and order to the accused, Sisodia said, delaying Neeraj and Satpal from filing an appeal.

"The accused have a right to get a copy of the judgment convicting and sentencing on the same day, as per the law," says retired Delhi High Court Judge SN Dhingra.

The case involves two college students — a Thakur girl and a scheduled caste boy — who fell in love while they were in Meerut college. The girl, who had suffered from polio in her childhood, later defied her family to marry Ashok Kumar. The couple later had a baby girl.

Their happiness, however, was short lived.

The girl's father Satpal and her uncle Neeraj tracked the couple down in late 2012. Once they had found their targets, the duo started making "threats to kill Ashok as he (Satpal) felt humiliated in his society due to this marriage," the police told the court.

The couple then moved to Delhi's East Sagarpur area to try and get away from Singh and Neeraj. The girl there started working as a clerk in a defence company; while the guy Ashok was still looking for employment. On January 16, 2013, five men cornered Ashok near a railway line in Sagarpur and shot him dead.

Neeraj was the first of the five gunmen to be identified and arrested. A gun was recovered from him, and ballistics matched its bullets to those found in Ashok's corpse A manhunt was launched for one of Neeraj's associates, 25-year-old Govind. The Delhi Police Commissioner had also declared a reward of Rs 30,000 for any information leading to his arrest .

Then, on January 12, 2015, the police received information about Govind's whereabouts and located him in hiding in Uttam Nagar. A seven-member team lay in wait in the evening hours of the same day and apprehended him.

During the trial, the woman turned hostile and refused to identify her uncle's accomplices.  As a result, Govind and Neeraj's other aide Rinku were acquitted for want of evidence.

Neeraj is currently in Tihar Jail, while his lawyers await a certified copy of the court's order so they can prepare his appeal. The court is on its annual summer leave and is due to start working again in a fortnight.

The Pioneer

New mines law: Opportunities galore for local growth

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/new-mines-law-opportunities-galore-for-local-growth.html

Saturday, 13 June 2015 | MANAS JENA | in Bhubaneswar

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015 has brought a major institutional arrangement with the provision of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) as a nonprofit trust for ensuring welfare of the mining affected areas and the inhabitants.

DMF is created under the provision of the Act, by insertion of section 9B to the principal Act, to work for the interest and benefits of persons and areas affected by mining related operations. Any district affected by mining related operation will have a DMF as a nonprofit body to be created by the State Government by notification.

The State Government has to make rules regarding the composition and functioning of the trust. It is further said in the Act that while making rules, the Government has to be guided by the provisions of administration of scheduled area /tribal area and provisions of PESA 1996 and FRA 2006. The lease holders of major and minor minerals will have to pay to the DMF in the manner decided by both Centre in case of major minerals and by State in case of minor minerals.

This DMF is going to play a major role in the development of mines area as well as the affected people there.

The Government of Odisha has initiated the process to set up DMF in all mines bearing districts. As said by the Minister of Mines, it is decided by the State that Collectors of the respective district will be the Chairperson of the trust along with senior officials and representatives of the mining companies as its members but Government must include the local peoples representatives specially Adivasi, Dalit and women in such bodies to make it inclusive of all social groups in mining area.

With the Chief Minister's order to the Rural Development Department to prepare a master plan for the development of mineral bearing districts such as Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Angul, Jajpur, Koraput, and Rayagda, the DMF has raises hopes high among the people in mines areas because this provision is created by law and a complete institutional mechanism is going to be established locally to address the interest of the people and the area which bears the impact of mining for last few decades. In the coming days, the mining operation will grow manifolds because the lease period has been extended to 50 years and the lease area will also be expanded.  There are a number of mining companies including the MNCs with FDI are already operating in Odisha for mining and mineral based industries. Odisha, being a mineral bearing State, is a favorable destination for companies. The DMF is going to play a major role in the overall development of the State including the mines area.

Odisha has about 58 varieties of major minerals and 22 varieties of minor minerals with four major mineral belts.

The coal belt covers central Odisha on the bank of river Mahanadi which include districts of Angul, Sambalpur, Jharasuguda and Sundargarh where about one third of the coal deposit of the country is available. The Sukinda chrome valley having 98 per cent of the chrome deposits of the country on the bank of river Brahmani in Jajpur and the adjacent areas of Keonjhar district, parts of Mayurbhanj and major parts of Sundargarh district constitute the chrome, iron ore and manganese belt. The south west Odisha includes Malkanagiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Balangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi  districts having 70 per cent of the bauxite  deposit along with tin, graphite and other minerals. The coastal mineral belt includes Ganjam and Puri district with minerals of sand and rare earth.

Besides, natural gas, petroleum and metallic minerals have been identified in the Mahanadi delta and Puri –Brahamagiri belt. The Sundargarh district has highest number of mines followed by Keonjhar and Maurbhanj. Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Angul and Keonjahr are ahead of all districts in terms of displacement due to mining operation.

Odisha is home to 10 per cent of the tribals of the country and 44 per cent of the total geographical area of the State is declared as fifth scheduled area inhabited by 62 tribal communities. About 60 per cent of the mines are in scheduled area and these areas are home to tribals,  Dalit and other farming communities. The last few decades of mining operation has impacted over life and livelihood of these communities who have been primarily depending on forest and agriculture base livelihood for survival. Along with displacement, they face huge loss of livelihood which resulted in landlessness, poverty, distress migration and unemployment.

Since independence, in spite of people's movement and protest, a number of constitutional provisions such as PESA and TSP and protective laws for Adivasies are not being implemented by State and deliberately violated in many ways to benefit the mining companies operating in scheduled areas. In case of Samata Judgment, the Supreme Court order in the year 1997 to spend certain percentage of the profit for local area development, and similar provisions of periphery development, rehabilitation and resettlement are openly flouted. The funds earmarked for the purposes are not spent properly by any mining company in the absence of State monitoring of these provisions in the interest of the local people specially the Adivasies and other marginalised sections.

The impact of mining on people's socio-economic and environmental condition, quality of life and standard of living in the State in general and mines areas in particular gives a negative picture as poverty and deprivation with environmental degradation are hallmarks in the mines bearing areas. Many studies have found that it is always the poor and marginalized mostly the Adivasis, Dalits, farmers, women and children are the worst sufferers. The majority of mining workers live in mining slums and their living condition has not been improved to a minimum standard. They have been deprived of getting basic minimum such as drinking water and housing in spite of organized trade unions intervention in mining areas. The majority of people in mining slums are Adivasies, who are mostly landless, homeless and depend on physical labour in mining. They have been made homeless in their own soil and face displacement directly and indirectly due to mining operation.

Mining has been a major cause of deforestation, soil and water pollution with improper implementation of all environmental protection and pollution control laws. The temperature in mining area has gone high and the ground water table has gone down as well as the water bodies getting dried up. The mining areas become inhabitable due to both underground and open cast mining. There has been no refilling of abundant mining in major mineral area which is a matter of concern as it is prone to underground eruption and such other serious problem. The DMF funds can be used for creation of land by refilling the abundant mining and regenerating the waste land with soil and water treatment. It will bring back the devastated area into a habitable climatic zone by restoring the ecosystem. The land can be given back to the landless and farmers still depending on agriculture for livelihood.

The State Government should use this opportunity to rebuild the mining areas by using such huge funds going to be available locally for the social and human development along with the eco system of the zone. The DMF should target basic things like health, education, communication and basic infrastructure focusing the most marginalized sections in mining area, and the affected core, buffer and periphery of the mining area. The district plans can be supported out of DMF funds for the overall development of the districts by integrating the development of the poor and mining areas of the districts. The districts like Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur can be integrated as a zone by linking the development of the whole region. Similarly, the coal areas of Angul, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh can be combined into a common action plan. The undivided Koraput district can have a common development plan. The State may constitute a mines area development board to plan and coordinate all such developmental activities at State level by integrating all developmental plans of mining areas.

(The writer is a researcher and rights activist, who can be mailed atmanasbbsr15@gmail.com) 

News Monitored by Girish Pant & AJEET

Modi all set to PRIVATISE the lifeline,Indian Railway!

Debroy committee suggests corporatization of Railways

Excalibur Stevens Biswas

[PDF]Interim Report of the Committee for Mobilization of ...

Policy making is not to concern the cabinet and legislation has to do nothing with the Parliament.The total Privetization,Total FDI and Total disinvestment TRISHUL of RSS Fascist governement of Hindu streamlined on making in Gujarat model.

An official panel's recommendation to allow private players in Railways has met with strong opposition from employees' union which has given a call for observing "black day" on June 30 across the country. "We have decided to observe black day on June 30 all over the country by wearing black badges," said Shiv Gopal Mishra, General Secretary, All India Railway Federation. 

Where do Ram and Allah Live?

Ram Puniyani

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a point to keep visiting temples when visiting other countries. His visit to Dhakeshwari Mandir and Ramkrishna Math in Bangla Desh were part of his itinerary (June 2015). On the heels of this he is planning to visit the oldest mosque in India. This happens to be Cheraman Jama Masjid in Thrissur in Kerala. Contrary to the present perception and propaganda that Islam came to India with Muslim kings with sword in one hand and Koran in the other, the initial Islam in India came via the Arab traders in Kerala to begin with. It is due to this that the first mosque in India came up in Kerala. Wikipedia gives the brief history of this mosque. There were trade relations between India and Arabia. Arabian trader used to come to Malabar Coast even before the advent of Islam. With the rise of Islam in Saudi Arabia, the traders brought this faith with them. "Cheraman Perumal, the Chera king, went to Arabia where he met the Prophet and embraced Islam and changed his name to Tajuddin. From there he had sent letters with Malik Ibn Dinar to his relatives in Kerala, asking them to be courteous to the latter. In the 7th Century, a group of Arabs led by Malik Bin Deenar and Malik bin Habib arrived in north Kerala and constructed a Masjid at Kodungalloor, naming it after their contemporary Cheraman Perumal.

This interesting peep in to the history; when the issues related to mosque, church and temple is very much in the air; should help us to delink religion from politics. Modi's associates within BJP and with RSS family (Sakshi Maharaj and the like) have begun asserting that Ram Temple will be built soon at the site where Babri Mosque was demolished. As Modi led NDA Government came to power we witnessed a series of attacks on Churches in Delhi, which many tried to pass off as series of thefts, despite the fact that not much was stolen; only damages were there, religious symbols were desecrated. The trend continues. In Atali in Haryana the violence was unleashed and the half built mosque was destroyed. In Rajagir (Bihar) the issue of holy place is being raked up. Subramniam Swami of BJP is facing a court case for saying that Temple is a holy place but mosque is not a holy place.

The communal politics has been built around the issues related to identity. Even during freedom movement when the communal streams (Muslim League-Hindu Mahasabha-RSS) came up the issues related to pig in the mosque and beef in temple were made the pretext of violence. In Independent India the story begins with Ram Temple issue in the decade of 1980s when BJP made it a political issue. Its seeds were sown in 1949 when some miscreants installed Ram Lalla Idol in the mosque. The rest is history. The culmination of this has been that the Allahabad High Court gave the verdict on the ownership of land on the grounds of faith of majority community, and divided it into three parts. The judgment was a precedent of sorts as faith became the base of judgment. The matters are pending in Supreme Court but to keep the pot boiling VHP-BJP has started making noises for construction of temple.

There is a long trajectory of incidents related to mosque-temple-dargah. Disputes have been constructed around them systematically. In Karnataka the Baba Budan Giri dargah was claimed to be the Datta Peetham. In Hyderabad near Charminar, Bhgyalaxmi temple is gradually being extended to be dangerously close to the Charminar. In Madhya Pradesh Kamaal Maula Masjid in Dhar has been claimed to be Bhojshala. In most of these places the campaigns were launched and polarization around these was brought in leading to electoral benefit to BJP at most of the places.

Historically it is amusing to see that while kings had diverse policies towards the holy places, the communal historiography which became prevalent looked at Muslim kings as destroyers of temples. This irrespective of the fact the Kings were there to rule primarily for power and wealth, religion being incidental to their policies. Emperor Asoka was the only king who worked for spreading his religion, Buddhism. Kings also could not rule just on the strength of sword and had to respect the faith and feelings of their subjects. That's how we see that Babar in his will to Humanyun writes "Son, this Nation Hindusthan has different Religions. Thank Allah for giving us this Kingdom. We should remove all the differences from our heart and do justice to each community according to its customs. Avoid cow-slaughter to win over the hearts of the people of this land and to incorporate the people in the matters of administration. Don't damage the places of worship and temples, which fall in the boundaries of our rule. Evolve a method of ruling whereby all the people of the kingdom are happy with the King and the King is happy with the people."

Tipu Sultan got the temple of Shrirangpatanam repaired after it was damaged due to the attack by Maratha armies. Primary cause of destruction of Somanth temple was the massive wealth kept there. Even Babri Mosque has been the pretext of biggest communal polarization in recent times. Hindu King Shivaji got a mosque built at the entrance of his fort in Raigadh. ## The clever British policy of introducing communal historiography and dividing the history into Hindu, Period, Muslim period and British period paid them rich dividends and the communal streams picked this version from their angles and this came in handy to incite the feelings of people.

Currently as India on one hand has claims for industrial growth and the figures of GDP are juggled to silence the critics, the fact is that India as a country is very low on the index of human development and per capita calorie consumption by large section is declining. At such a time the issues around temple and a mosque are a definite derailing of the priorities of the society. Lately many from RSS stable have been making damning statements about holy places. Yogi Adityanath of BJP said that non Hindus should not be permitted in Haridwar's ghats. Somanth trust is barring the entry of non Hindus into the temple. Such attempts will be a great detriment to our social practices which have united the society. People from different religions keep visiting places of all the faiths. These are practices where people overcome the religious divides in practice. These will weaken the fraternity which is integral part of our values.

While watching the TV debates on Ayodhya temple-mosque issue, one can see VHP spokespersons beating their breast that Lord Ram has to live in the tent, while he deserves to live in the Bhavya (great) temple. Here is the question, contrary to the belief of communal forces; for most of the medieval saints; the place of worship was within one's own heart and soul. The identity issues have been brought to the fore by communal forces for their own vested interests. What we need is not the issues related to identity but struggle for a society which wants to see that all its citizens have bare minimum facilities, food clothing, shelter, employment health and dignity.

Lord Ram and Allah are almighty and the mortals like us, including the breast beaters from communal formations, should prefer to see that the housing is provided to all the mortals, ordinary people so that they don't have to live on the pavements-slums and suffer the ignominy. Can one hope that rather than presenting the past in a one sided; divisive manner we look at the story from all the angles, and put forth the rational one. We need to cultivate our faith for well being of all our society as a whole on the lines of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam.  

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response only to ram.puniyani@gmail.com