The Hindu : New Delhi News : Dalits at the receiving end, says report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Dalits at the receiving end, says report

Staff Correspondent

NCDHR seeks action against perpetrators of social ostracism in Haryana village

NEW DELHI: A fact-finding report by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) on intimidation and social ostracism of Dalits in Badhram, near Palwal in Haryana, has demanded immediate action by the Central and State governments against the perpetrators of the crime.

According to the report, the head priest of the village temple in Badhram verbally abused (on caste lines) a Dalit youth, Rajneesh, on July 24 this year upon seeing him pick a branch from a neem tree in the temple. This led to a quarrel, in which Rajneesh was hit on the head. On seeing his condition, enraged Dalits, beat up the head priest. Upper caste villagers retaliated by beating up two Dalits.

The local police refused to register an FIR filed by the Dalits while they registered the FIR filed by the priest and upper caste villagers. Seven Dalits have been charged for offences under the IPC of which four were arrested immediately, and later released on bail.

The report says that most Dalit youths have fled from the village in fear and the upper caste villagers have completely ostracised Dalits. They have directed the village shopkeepers not to sell any commodity to Dalits. The report says that on August 12, upper caste villagers set three houses belonging to Dalit families on fire. According to the report, upper caste men beat up three Dalits and assaulted a woman. An FIR was lodged at Chandhat Police Station under various sections of IPC and Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Prevention of Atrocities Act. None of those named in the FIR have been arrested so far.

The report points out that the crisis is a culmination of events in recent years arising from the assertiveness of the Dalits in Badhram and the awareness of their rights. Dalits in the village had refused to do `begar' or forced labour for the upper caste villagers. The construction of a statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and a park on Panchayat land had become a bone of contention between Dalits and upper caste villagers. According to the report, the police and State administration have a history of siding with the uppers castes. The district level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee required to set up as per the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocity Rules is not in place. The Deputy Commissioner of Faridabad, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of the area and the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Police of Faridabad have not visited Badhram to assess the extent of atrocity, loss and damage to property in order to submit a report to the State government as required by the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Rules, 1995.The report has demanded that an FIR be lodged on the basis of the complaint filed by Dalits on 24 July, immediate withdrawal of false cases foisted on them, a CBI enquiry into the case, and compensation to the victims permissible under the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Rules.

The NCDHR has approached the National Commission for SCs and STs, which has sent instructions to the Inspector General, Police, to protect Dalits in the area. Dr. Umakant from the NCDHR said: "Dalits in the village have said that they are still being threatened despite assurances of the police and the administration."

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