Representative Image (Shutterstock)

Shardaben and her husband were both farm labourers. While she was at home with the children, her husband had gone to work in the morning. 

“Bodies of Shardaben Gohel, Rutvik, Doli, and Neha were found in a septic tank of a house allotted to them by the owner of the farm,” Mangrol police station sub-inspector H V Rathod said. Prima facie, the four were attacked by a sharp object, the officer said. Police have registered a case of murder and further investigation is on.

The post Dalit woman and children found dead in Gujarat appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The family is still in shock and wants justice for both sons who were the only source of a steady income for the family. They filed an FIR against Poonam’s family as they are convinced they were responsible for the murder. Rajesh was murdered on 4th February and still not a single arrest has been made. The elder brother Rakesh who is partially paralyzed says “polile waale aakar bole ki side me chalo kuch baat karna hai aur phir zabardasti jeep me baitha ke le gaye”.(the police asked him to come see them for a minute ad then shoved him in their jeep). The police didn’t just unlawfully detained him they also hung him upside down for more than two hours and then beat him up. When the family members went to get him out the police stalled them. His mother also told us that he was made to clean the place up while being hand cuffed and was humiliated and abused. After the incident Rakesh has suffered severe injuries to his spinal cord and his lost sensation in his left leg completely. His shoulders also remain injured.

They have tried contacting the SHO of Hisar district but have failed till date. Last evening some policemen came over to poke around. The family is skeptical of police. Poonam says that her family is influential and has bribed the police. Poonam also told that the police have been continually trying to pin this on her. Earlier the police claimed that she killed her own husband because she had an affair with her son in law Rakesh and now that they could prove nothing in spite of torturing Rakesh they are claiming that Poonam had an extramarital affair with some neighbor and killed her husband to get rid of him. The police are also trying to coerce her into admitting that the handwriting on the letter was hers. Poonam’s family came to see her when she was in labor and her aunt threatened her even then. The family is fully supportive of Poonam and wants her to have justice. They have settled here with basics and plan to sit till the officials punish the perpetuators and the policemen responsible for the injuries suffered by Rakesh are held accountable.

They also told us that the officials have been using the Jat agitation as an excuse to postpone other cases in the area.

This article was first published on India Resist
 

The post Another Dalit killed in Haryana: Jat girl’s family brutally murders the boy she married appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The villagers were last night watching a cycle show when some persons present there allegedly passed a caste-related comment on a Dalit youth who had won a race, police said today.

When the Dalits objected, a group of people belonging to another community allegedly attacked them, they said.

After the incident, a large number of Dalits gathered outside of the Mirchpur Police Chowki and held a demonstration and raised slogans against the police, police said.

On receiving information about the incident, SP Rajender Kumar Meena and Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj along with other officers and police force reached the village last night and met the locals, they said.

The situation in village is under control and extra police force has been deployed in the village to avoid any untoward incident, the SP said, adding in-charge of Mirchpur Chowki has been transferred.

One injured was admitted to Agroha Medical College while five others to civil hospital here with simple injuries and were likely to be discharged today, Superintendent of Police Rajender Kumar Meena said.

A case under section 148 (rioting), 149 (if an offence be committed by any member of an unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of IPC and under the provisions of the SC/ST Act has been registered against 15 persons in Narnaund Police Station last night.

Nearly seven years ago, two people were burnt alive in an inter-caste violence in the same Mirchpur village.

Later, CRPF troops had been deployed in the village to maintain peace, but these were withdrawn last year.

A 20-member committee had been formed earlier to maintain harmony in the village.

CRPF had been deployed in Mirchpur when allegedly a group of villagers belonging to upper caste torched over a dozen houses belonging to Dalits on April 21, 2010 in which a 19-year-old polio-stricken girl and her aged father were charred to death.

The incident was triggered by an argument between some Dalit youths and upper caste men after a person from the latter faction had thrown a stone at a dog which was barking at him.

He was passing through a Dalit locality in the village.
 

The post 9 Dalits injured in attack in Hisar village appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Dalit protest in Gujarat after Una atrocity. Photo credit: Indian Express

The Dalit prisoners according to reports cannot even drink water from the Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant installed in the Amreli district jail. The prisoners from lower castes are victimized by the upper castes prisoners and complaints regarding this go unheard by the Jail Superintendent. The Commission issued a notice to the IG (Prisons), Gujarat calling for a report in the matter within six weeks. 

The Commission has also observed that the Constitution of India states that there should be no discrimination with anyone on the basis of caste, creed, gender and religion. Therefore, the jails cannot be allowed to remain an exception in this regard, noted the NHRC press release issued on January 6.

The contents of the news report, if true, amount to violation of right to life, equality and dignity of the prisoners. The jail authorities being custodian of the prisoners are bound to ensure their safety and protection, NHRC added. 

According to the media reports, carried on the 5th January, 2017, an advocate, who remained in the jail for about 110 days in the Amreli district jail as an under trial prisoner has revealed the entire story based on his personal experiences.

When the fellow prisoners came to know that he was involved in the agitation by the Dalits, the upper caste prisoners known as Durbars started harassing him verbally, with comments about his caste.

He was not allowed to drink water from the earthen pitcher which was kept nearby. The Durbars stopped him and asked him to quench his thirst from the tap in the toilet.

The Dalit inmates are made to wash clothes of their fellow prisoners and their utensils too. Sometimes, the upper caste Durbars would wake up the Dalit undertrials at 2 in the night and ask them to massage their legs. 

Reportedly, one of the Dalit inmates who objected to the harassment was beaten up so severely that he could not get up for days but the jail staff refused to shift him to the hospital as it would become a medico legal case.

The complaints made to the Jail Superintendent are never heard by the authorities. The so called upper caste prisoners enjoy all facilities including mobile phones and operate their network from inside the jail with their hand in gloves, with the jail authorities.

It is stated in the news report that the said victim, Navchetan Parmar has approached many organizations including the NHRC for redressal of the grievances of the Dalit prisoners but nothing is being done. 

The NHRC’s Press Release may be viewed here.

The post NHRC issues notice to the IG (Prisons), Gujarat over victimization of Dalit prisoners in jail appeared first on SabrangIndia.