Other States - Rajasthan   

Dalits dispute Minister's claim

Special Correspondent

"State registered a sharp decline in number of atrocities against SCs, STs"

JAIPUR: The Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) has disputed a claim made by Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria at the Inter-State Council meeting in New Delhi recently that the State had registered a sharp decline in the number of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribes and a twofold increase in convictions under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

CDR chairman P.L. Mimroth told reporters here over the weekend that the instances of atrocities against Dalits were many times more than the official figures of 2,941 (SCs) and 719 (STs) during 2006, with the majority of cases not registered by the police. "Even the registered cases are weakened by poor investigations and defective prosecution in courts,'' he charged.

Mr. Mimroth said the State Government's reluctance to give protection to Dalits was proved by the fact that it had not notified any area as atrocity-prone under the SC/ST Act and had not fully used the Central grants of Rs. 2 crores in 2005 and Rs. 2.10 crores in 2006 for taking measures to prevent atrocities.

The CDR, while denouncing Mr. Kataria's "false claim'', pointed out that the State-level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee under Rule 16 of the SC/ST Act, appointed for the first time in July 2004, had not complied with the mandatory provision of the Chief Minister heading it.

The committee headed by Social Welfare Minister Madan Dilawar was defunct and ineffective, it added.

Mr. Mimroth said the CDR, during its probe into a large number of atrocities against Dalits, had found that those belonging to dominant castes had used land disputes as a pretext to target Dalits in the majority of cases.

He demanded that the Government acquire land forcibly occupied by feudal lords and higher castes and distribute it to the landless Dalits.

The CDR also called for effective implementation of the SC/ST Act by ensuring accountability of Investigating Officers and Special Public Prosecutors.

Mr. Mimroth said the Government should provide training to police and administrative officers to develop sensitivity to the instances of victimisation, discrimination and violence against Dalits.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Air Deccan launches flight from Jaipur
Dalits dispute Minister's claim

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu