Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 10.08.12
Police atrocities on dalits: High court issues suo motu notice to Gujarat - The Times Of India
TN dalits have no place to bury their dead - Deccan Herald
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/270529/tn-dalits-have-no-place.html
Have one SC/ST member on NACIL Board of Directors: Par panel - IBN Live
Police 'beat up' dalits, Rajkot top cop, home secretary get HC notice - Express India
Constitution to be amended for SC/ST promotion quota - Deccan Herald
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/270382/constitution-amended-scst-promotion-quota.html
The Times Of India
Police atrocities on dalits: High court issues suo motu notice to Gujarat
TNN | Aug 10, 2012, 03.55AM IST
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Thursday asked the state home secretary and Rajkot police commissioner to explain the alleged police atrocities on dalit women and children.
A bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala took suo motu cognizance of the issue on basis of a letter from the president of Gujarat Dalit Sangathan, Jayanti Mankadia. The bench sought a reply from the concerned officials in two weeks.
In his letter, Mankadia sought action against the policemen under the Prevention of Atrocity Act for the alleged police action in Rajkot on June 25. He also demanded protection for the victims, who were allegedly tortured by the cops. The applicant has also sought a probe by the National Human Rights Commission.
According to case details, there were clashes between two members of the dalit community and Muslims in Rajkot in June, where primary school teacher and dalit leader Gunavant Rathod was killed. The residents of Ambedkarnagar took out a procession on June 25 to protest the killing. "Immediately after the rally, police forcefully entered residences in Ambedkarnagar and assaulted people, including women and children," Mankadia alleged.
Rupa Sondarva (16) sustained spinal injuries and is now facing disability for life, he said in the letter adding, "Residents are not only facing multiple FIRs but also fearing retribution from the police and they need protection." The HC, which decided to treat the letter as a writ petition, appointed advocate Shalin Mehta as amicus curiae to assist in the proceedings. The state government has been maintaining, on the other hand, that the police had to lob teargas shells to disperse the mob, as it blocked the road during the protest. When it did not work, cops took to caning which resulted in injuries to various persons. However, the complaint is to the contrary.
Deccan Herald
TN dalits have no place to bury their dead
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/270529/tn-dalits-have-no-place.html
Chennai, Aug 9, 2012, DHNS
The SC/ST community in the state is having a torrid time finding burial space for the dead. During a two-day open hearing session by a committee of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), it came to light that land marked for graveyards have been encroached upon.
The session concluded on Thursday. According to NHRC Chairperson K G Balakrishnan, land grab and delay in issue of community certificates predominated the session. A total of 317 cases were heard while 159 were disposed of.
Emphasising on the land grab issue, Balakrishnan said it was found that upper caste people had encroached upon a "graveyard for the SCs" in a village, with the state turning a blind eye to the issue.
Responding to the particular instance, the two-member NHRC committee, comprising justices B C Patel and Satyabrata Pal said both encroachers and the government officials concerned should be prosecuted under section 3(1)(v) and section 4 of SC/STs Prevention of Atrocities Act, respectively.
In certain cases, dalits complained that they were denied pattas for their lands. Even if the pattas were issued, they were denied possession. "The NHRC has asked the state to ensure delivery of possession to the patta holders," Balahrishnan said.
The committee members also observed that the police, in connivance with the upper caste members, "diluted the FIRs" registered under the SC/STs' Atrocities Prevention Act. Discrimination in the education sector also came to fore, with the SCs/STs complaining of either being denied education loans or told to pay the entire fee upfront in private colleges.
IBN Live
Have one SC/ST member on NACIL Board of Directors: Par panel
PTI | 07:08 PM,Aug 09,2012
New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI) Taking a strong view of inadequate representation of SC and ST communities in National Aviation Company India Ltd (NACIL), a Parliamentary Panel has asked the government to nominate at least one person from the reserved category in the company's Board of Directors. "Government should ensure that at least one SC/ST member is nominated as independent director of the Board," the Panel said in its report which was tabled in Parliament today. Referring to the constitutional mandate, it also said the government should provide reservation for appointment and promotion of officers in higher scale so that SC/ST officers could also get an opportunity to become functional directors of NACIL. "The Committee is of the view that having at least one member on the Board of Directors from SC/ST category was essential to represent these communities," the report said. On appointment of SC/ST candidates in Air India, the report said "that reservation is applicable to all posts in Air India Limited filled by direct recruitment and promotion." It also advcoated the urgency of laying down policy guidelines for providing reservation for all categories of posts, including all rungs of Group 'A' posts both in selection and promotion, of Air India. The committee also took strong exception to the pending cases where candidates sought employment in NACIL by producing false caste certificates and recommended that the concerned state governments should pursue verification of documents, referred by the company, in a time-bound manner. "The committee recommend that extra care should be taken while examining the caste certificates at the time of offering appointment letter itself by resorting to compulsory verification of all caste certificates at entry level," the report said.
Express India
Police 'beat up' dalits, Rajkot top cop, home secretary get HC notice
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/police-beat-up-dalits-rajkot-top-cop-home-secretary-get-hc-notice/986476/
Express news service
Posted: Aug 10, 2012 at 0459 hrs IST
Ahmedabad Taking suo motu cognisance of alleged atrocities committed on dalits by Rajkot city police, the Gujarat High Court on Thursday issued notices to the state home secretary and Rajkot police commissioner.
A division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala were acting on a letter from a dalit organisation about the alleged incident that took place on June 25 this year.
According to details, a dalit leader from Rajkot, Gunvant Rathod, was killed by some miscreants on June 24. The next day, a funeral procession was taken out by dalits before Rathod's body was cremated. After the cremation, some in the funeral procession staged a protest demanding that the culprits be arrested.
According to the complaint letter to HC, police indiscriminately beat up the protesters without any provocation. Police also allegedly entered the houses of dalits in Ambedkarnagar area and mercilessly thrashed them. Those beaten up included children and women. One of the injured, Rupa Sondarava (16), was allegedly kicked by police following which she sustained a serious spinal injury that is threatening to cause permanent disability. Rupa was shifted from Rajkot to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where hospital authorities registered a medico-legal case and informed Rajkot police about the same. The police, however, allegedly did not register her statement.
Following this, Dr Jayanti Mankadiya, president of Gujarat Dalit Sangathan, and others wrote to the Chief Justice about the incident and sought his intervention. They also sent photographs and a video CD purportedly showing police action.
Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya referred Mankadiya's letter to Justice Akil Kureshi seeking his opinion if it was a fit case to take suo motu conginsance of. Justice Kureshi agreed it was and a senior advocate of HC, Shalin Mehta, was appointed as amicus curaie.
The suo motu proceeding seeks strict action against the erring police officers and registration of a case against them under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The next hearing is scheduled after two weeks.
Deccan Herald
Constitution to be amended for SC/ST promotion quota
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/270382/constitution-amended-scst-promotion-quota.html
New Delhi, Aug 9, 2012,DHNS
Govt to seek political consensus
The UPA government will table in Parliament on August 22 a constitutional amendment bill to ensure reservation in promotions for SCs/STs in government jobs. An all-party meeting will be held a day earlier to discuss the bill.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, V Narayanswamy announced the government's decision on Thursday, following adjournments in both Houses as members cutting across political parties demanded the reservation.
A demand for amending the constitution has come in the wake of the Allahabad High Court judgment that scrapped Uttar Pradesh government's decision to implement quota in promotions. The High Court judgment was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court.
Sources in the government said SC/ST employes in both Central and state governments will benefit if the bill is passed. The applicability of the reservation to all categories of government jobs will be decided after consultation with the political parties.
"The government will ready the bill and bring it before the Cabinet soon," they added.
The issue triggered an uproar in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, as several parties joined the Mayawati-led BSP to demand the reservation, stalling proceedings in both Houses.
During the break, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was seen engaged in a discussion with Mayawati and the dissenting MPs. In the Rajya Sabha, Mayawati and D Raja (CPI) claimed that a meeting promised by the government to discuss a quota in reservation for SC/ST persons, in the previous session of Parliament never took place.
In the Lok Sabha, BSP MPs trooped to the well to demand the reservation.
Even before Thursday's session commenced, the SC/ST MPs' Forum staged a dharna in front of the Ambedkar statue in the Parliament House premises, demanding early passage of the bill.
In 2007, the erstwhile BSP government in UP had decided to reserve promotion to the SC/ST employees in top government posts. Ever since, the BSP has stuck to the demand, urging the Centre to intervene and introduce a bill to nullify the apex court judgment.
--
.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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