The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Atrocities on Dalits: `police did not do duty properly'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 06, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Atrocities on Dalits: `police did not do duty properly'

Staff Reporter

The public hearing organised by NCDHR brought to light cases of atrocities against Dalits in five States

BANGALORE: A jury hearing the cases of atrocities against Dalits found that the police had not done an efficient job in handling the cases.

Out of the 51 cases that the jury heard, the Dalits claimed that the police had refused to register a first information report in 14 cases and in 35 cases no charge sheet had been prepared.

At the end of the two-day session on Tuesday, the jury comprising chairperson of the Women's Commission of Andhra Pradesh Mary Ravindranath; retired district and sessions judge of Karnataka J. Chandrashekeriah; advocate of the Kerala High Court Prameela; senior advocate of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh Bojja Tarakam; member of the SC/ST Commission of Pondicherry M.S. Kaliaperumal; professor of Bangalore University Samathadeshmi and former member of the National SC/ST Commission of New Delhi, C. Chellappan, said that the police had not done their duty properly.

In its recommendation, it said that the State should register cases against the police personnel concerned.

The public hearing on `Dalit Human Rights Violation' organised by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), brought to light cases of atrocities against Dalits in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Fifteen cases from Karnataka were heard.

The jury also recommended that comprehensive rehabilitation packages such as allotment of land, pension for widows and children, provision of adequate drinking water facility be provided to Dalits who were victims of these atrocities.

Five-year-old Subbalakshmi, from Tamil Nadu, told the jury how she was raped by an 18-year-old and a 16-year-old.

The two boys kidnapped her from her home and committed the crime.

In another case that was narrated, Dalits from Gummanahalli in Mandya district, said that they had been denied permission to enter the "gramadevatha" temple and take water from the tank during the village festival.

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