The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Plea to provide land to dalits

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Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Plea to provide land to dalits

Staff Reporter

UDUMALPET: Citizen’s Audit Group (CAG), formed by Social Awareness Society for Youths a Non-Governmental Organisation which is working for accelerating Dalit rights has urged the State Government to provide land to the dalits of Salarappatty, under the two-acre free land scheme.

A team led by Jeya Sudha, secretary of the CAG and I. Pandiyan, State coordinator, who conducted a field study at Salarapatty on the attack on dalits, has said that ‘willful negligence’ of the police and the administration were the causes for the brutal attack.

The CAG in its report said that real culprits were yet to be brought to the book and caste Hindus.

It had found fault with the administration for not extending relief material including food pockets for the affected.

Stating that the incident an example to nullify the claims of the social justice and Human Rights Wing of police on non-prevalence of double-tumbler system, the CAG wanted the Government to bring a special policy to abolish the system across Tamil Nadu.

A Madurai-based NGO, Evidence (an organisation monitoring human rights and protecting social justice, demanded that the case filed against dalits be withdrawn. Its executive director, Kathir, who led team on Tuesday to conduct a study, said that it was not a clash between two groups but a planned attack on dalits, who are unarmed.

He urged the National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for SCs and STs to suo moto enquire the violence.

Mr. Kathir wanted stringent provisions under the SCs and STs Prevention of Atrocities Act should be used against the culprits.

Evidence urged the authorities to take steps to build confidence among dalits as fear loom large on their mind. It wanted citizen groups comprising human right activists, media and social workers to monitor the peace keeping process.

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