In two of these incidents, Dalit students were the victims while in the third incident, an elderly Dalit woman had to suffer brutal physical abuse after her goats strayed into the field of another. These incidents of violence have sparked an uproar amongst people.

These caste-based incidents of violence underscore the persistent discrimination and violence faced by Dalits in the state of Uttar Pradesh, currently being ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party government. One should also note that the state of Uttar Pradesh has continuously topped the NCRB list of states where anti-Dalit instances are prevalent. After these three incidents, we have also provided an overview of the anti-Dalit incidents that have emerged in the state since the beginning of the current year.

Anti-Dalit Crimes (March 26-April 3, 2024)

Assault of minor Dalit student:

On April 2, reports of a minor Dalit student being beaten up for not touching the feet of the teacher emerged. As per a report of The Mooknayak, in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a Class VI Dalit student was beaten up by the teacher at a government primary school, namely Murarpur Primary School, for not touching his feet. It had been alleged that the teacher also used caste-related slurs while physically abusing the minor child. Notably, the teacher, Ravi Shankar Pandey, beat the student for not touching his feet as a mark of respect.

The report states that a case has been filed against the accused teacher in the Uruva police station of ​​Gorakhpur district under the Scheduled Caste-Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act and other related sections in the assault case. The complaint in the present matter had been made by the family members of the minor victim.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jitendra Kumar stated to The Mooknayak that a case has been registered based on the complaint and the police is investigating. Action will be taken on the basis of investigation and evidence. It is essential to note that the accused teacher has reportedly been absconding since the incident.

Assault of Dalit elderly woman:

On March 31, a video showing a man beating up a woman with a stick started doing rounds on social media. The abuser can be seen brutally thrashing and slapping the woman. It is also essential to highlight here that the abuser can be heard hurling casteist slurs at her. The video had been uploaded on the ‘X’ profile of The Dalit Voice and can be accessed below.

#Horrible A 60-year-old Dalit woman was brutally beaten after her goat strayed into a field. The owner of the field beat the woman with a stick and hurled abuses at her. The incident happened in UP’s Bulandshahar… pic.twitter.com/Mj2p5IB0hM

— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) March 31, 2024

As per a report in the Siasat, the woman in the video is a Dalit woman of 60. As provided in the report, she was subjected to brutality when her goat accidentally strayed into the latter’s fields. The incident occurred in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahar region.

As per the media report, the state police have registered a case into the incident under the SC/ST Act and has assured of strict action against the abuser.

Bullet injuries to minor Dalit student:

On March 26, a clash was reported to have taken place between two groups in Silai Baragaon village in Milak area over the installation of a hoarding with a picture of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. As per a report in the Siasat, during the said conflict, a 17-year-old Dalit boy named Sumesh Kumar received bullet injuries. These injuries ultimately led to his death. It is essential to note that the minor deceased child was returning home after writing his Class 10 examination.

Uttar Pradesh and increasing caste-based violence:

As per the ‘Crime in India, 2022’ report published by the National Crime Records Bureau, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, atrocities against Dalits increased manifold in 2022 from the previous years. The report, which also provides the state-wise data of Dalit atrocities, also depicted that the state of Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of atrocities. As per the report, a total of 15,368 cases of crimes against Dalits were reported in 2022. It is essential to note that the figures of Uttar Pradesh accounts for roughly 28% of the crimes committed against Dalit from all over the country as a total 57,428 crimes were reported to have been committed against Dalits in 2022.

It is essential to highlight here that with 15,368 total cases having been registered in the state, bringing the daily tally of atrocity cases to 40.

Anti-Dalit atrocities reported from Uttar Pradesh since 2024:

In the beginning of January, a 25-year-old Dalit woman found raped and strangled allegedly at the hands of a 27-year-old police constable, who is now identified as Raghvendra Singh, in Agra. The victim’s dead body was recovered from the room the constable had rented, hanging from the ceiling of Singh’s room.

A separate incident was reported after the Republic Day function at Sardar Singh Inter College in Narauli town, two students reportedly assaulted and beat up a Dalit student who had finished his speech on Dr BR Ambedkar with the chant ‘Jai Bhim-Jai Bharat’. The said incident was reported from Narauli area of UP.

Another horrifying incident of violence against woman was also reported from UP’s Baghpat area in the same month with an 18-year-old Dalit woman being pushed into a cauldron of scalding hot oil. It is essential to note that she was protesting sexual harassment that she had faced when the owner of the oil mill she was working work at pushed her into the cauldron with the help of two other people.

In March, a brutal incident of Dalit atrocity was reported from Muzaffarnagar district in western Uttar Pradesh. As per the report of The Mooknayak, a 21-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death after being held hostage over a “love affair” in the Khatauli block of. The police had identified the victim as Ankit. Ankit was allegedly having an affair with a 30-year-old married woman belonging to the same village but of a different caste. The deceased was beaten to death after being held hostage.

Congress slams UP government, calls the state an “anti-Dalit haven”:

In December 2023, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had termed the NCRB report to be BJP’s “black letter”, depicting the unsafety that surrounds the marginalised community of. Kharge also added that injustice, atrocities, and repression are part of the BJP’s decade-long agenda of dividing society.

After the aforementioned three cases of caste-based atrocities came to light, Congress national general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that Uttar Pradesh had become a “haven for lawlessness and anti-Dalit hate crime.” Attacking the Yogi Adityanath BJP-state government, Ramesh coined the ruling government to be a ‘double anyay’ sarkar. As per a report of Siasat, Ramesh said “In this Anyay-kaal, the only real slogan that the BJP adheres to is Sabka soshan, Sabka utpeedan (everyone’s exploitation, atrocities on everyone)”.

Related:

Sexual assault at BHU: Dalit student alleged abuse, assault and attempts of forced sex against another student in hostel

Chennai: Dalit man hacked to death by in-laws due to caste

Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh: 5 Dalit children beaten with sticks, with hands tied behind their back, for drinking water from a well

The post Three incidents of violence against Dalits since March 26, two against minors, one against elderly woman appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported atrocities and crimes against Scheduled Castes witnessed a 1.2% increase in 2021, totalling 50,900 cases, as compared to 50,291 in 2020. Uttar Pradesh emerged with the larger numbers of reported crimes, reporting the highest number of cases at 13,146, constituting 25.82% of the total incidents. Bihar reveals a significant 11.4% share, amounting to 5,842 cases, while other states like Rajasthan form about 14.7%, Madhya Pradesh 14.1% of the total crimes. What is worse is that combined cases from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alone account for 37.22% of all reported atrocities against the community.

However, according to the Human Rights Watch, these alarming figures according to reports only scratch the surface, as it has been reported that Dalits are often apprehensive to report crimes, due to reported lack of police support. This suggests that the true extent of abuses against them is likely far higher.

Jehanabad, Bihar

In Jehanabad district in Bihar, a Dalit youth named Akash Kumar was prevented from going in a local temple. The matter escalated when Kumar voiced his protest, resulting in an alleged physical assault against him. The aggrieved party has lodged an FIR against two people, one of who is a member of the temple committee, namely Dayanand Keshari and his son.

According to The Mooknayak, the FIR has revealed that the duo not only prevented him from entering the temple but also subjected him to physical violence and employed derogatory caste-based language. The local law enforcement authorities have duly commenced an investigation into the case to ascertain the veracity of the claims.

While narrating the sequence of events, Akash Kumar stated that the incident transpired on a Friday, implicating Dayanand Keshari and his son in the purported assault. Subsequently, in response to Kumar’s FIR, law enforcement officials, led by Thana Adhyaksh Ajit Kumar, acknowledged the initiation of a comprehensive inquiry into the matter.

On the hand, the accused vehemently reject the allegations, dismissing them as baseless and fuelled by personal animosity. Dayanand Keshari, when confronted with the accusations, offered an alternative perspective, asserting that on the day of the incident, a group of youth, allegedly under the influence of intoxicants, were occupying the temple premises. Keshari claimed to have urged them to respect the sanctity of the temple, leading to heightened tensions and ultimately another individual to file a case against him. 

Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

A harrowing incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain where three Dalit women were brutally assaulted by members of the Gurjar community. Shedding light on the episode, a police official revealed that the horrifying attack took place in a field, where the women were subjected to violence by people from the Gurjar community, the Jagaran has reported.

The shocking episode had garnered widespread attention after the video capturing the assault went viral on social media platforms. The victims have lodged a formal complaint at the local police station.

Bhim Singh Parihar, the officer in charge of the Makdon police station, has stated that the issue took place when goats owned by Gurjar community members encroached upon another person’s field. This led to an argument between the two parties which quickly turned into the assault.

The video that went viral shows three-four men ruthlessly wielding sticks against the women. The accused in the video have been Identified as Jagdish Gurjar, Ajay Gurjar, Hukum Singh Gurjar, and Badrilal Gurjar. A case has been registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Authorities have confirmed that all the accused are currently at large. The police have stated that the victims have been taken to the district hospital for swift medical treatment and their condition is stable. 

Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Two Dalit prisoners at Sultanpur District Jail in Uttar Pradesh were found dead, hanged by bedsheets in their cells, according to The Mooknayak. The bodies of two Dalit prisoners, Kariya alias Vijay Pasi and Manoj Raidas, were recovered from the prison. They were accused in the murder of poultry farm owner Om Prakash Yadav and were discovered hanging in their barrack on June 21. The case was initially considered a case of suicide but recent magisterial investigation has revealed foul play. The jail officials had claimed that depression had led to suicides. However, contrary to jail officials’ claims of depression-induced suicides, the post-mortem report raised alarming questions. After investigating statements from the medical panel, the investigating officer has discovered that both prisoners had died of poison before June 21. The investigation further reveals that two had not had food for about 12 hours before their death.

The Mooknayak further reports that fellow inmates failed to corroborate the jail administrations’ narrative of suicide. The inmates stated that the victims were in good spirits and had engaged in normal, jovial conversation. Further investigation has revealed that the two had not had any bedsheet either, and raised the question how did they come upon the bedsheet with which they were found hanged.

Former IPS and National President of Adhikar Sena, Amitabh Thakur, has called for immediate FIRs against implicated officers. He has asked for a CID-CB investigation for the case to ensure accountability and fair investigation.

Bilgram, Uttar Pradesh

According to reports, a 42-year-old Dalit man was hacked to death in the Bilgram area of Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh. The assailant, identified as Guddu Rathore, allegedly hacked Saligram to death with a sharp-edged weapon. Locals state that the accused reportedly fled the spot the minute the incident took place. Police has detailed that the motivation for murder was a minor dispute between the two. The family has alleged it was because Guddu’s cattle strayed in Salgram’s area, however the matter had been reportedly sorted and resolved with intervention by locals. The police have initiated a case after the family lodged a complaint. The body has been sent for post mortem examination.

Kaimur, Bihar

Two young Dalit girls were beaten for plucking leaves from a farmer’s plant; one of them, Sundari Kumar from class 8 died of her injuries, according to the Deccan Herald. The gruesome episode has ignited tension in the area. The incident occurred in Hata village which falls under the Chainpur police station limits.

The victim Sundari was a 14-year-old Class 8 student who was with her cousin when she reportedly tried to pluck some gram leaves from a neighbouring farm. The farm’s owner Ramadhar Yadav, and his son Gaurav reportedly caught the girls following which the girls were beaten mercilessly with bamboo sticks. The police are currently searching for the four absconding individuals involved. A case has been registered against them.

Local CPI-ML leader Vijay Singh Yadav visited the grieving family and talked about the urgent need to arrest the culprits and also demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the victim’s family.

Related:

Untouchability and exclusion, absence of voice: Dalit situation 2023

9-year-old Dalit girl raped and murdered in Ghaziabad by 52-year-old landlord

Dalits attacked by upper castes at Buddha Katha ceremony in Kanpur

Anti-Dalit violence emerges in the first half of November in alarming numbers

The post Anti-Dalit incidents in December: 14-year-old killed for plucking gram leaves appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The incident unfolded on October 24 when Jitendra Parmar decided to attend the garba festivities accompanied by his 11-year-old female cousin at Mahakali Chowk in his village. Little did he know that this simple act of joining in celebration of a festival would lead to a violent and harrowing experience. Parmar described the horrifying night, saying, “I was participating in the garba alone, and there was nobody around me. The accused, namely Naresh Chauhan, Arvind Chauhan, Vijat Chauhan, Amrut Chauhan, and Ramesh Gohel, all members of the Thakor community, approached me and started hurling abuses and harassing me.” This was followed by a vicious attack that left Jitendra bruised, broken and injured.

The attackers subjected Parmar to caste-based slurs and physical violence solely because he had entered the garba venue. Jitendra recalled the horrifying experience, saying, “They kept asking who had given me permission to enter their garba. When two members of my community tried to rescue me, the accused assaulted them as well.”

The attackers did not even spare Jitendra’s 11-year-old cousin, who was verbally harassed and subjected to caste-based slurs just as well. Furthermore, one of the attackers even issued a threat, warning Jitendra that he would be killed if he dared to attend another garba event. The accused reportedly belonged to the Thakur community.

The Kheda police have reportedly registered a case against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including unlawful assembly, causing hurt, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, charges have been also filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Furthermore, the TOI highlights that according to a Right to Information Act (RTI) application filed with the state government by activist Kaushik Parmar, there are out of the 129 villages in 12 districts that received police protection in 2022 following offences under the Atrocities Act and Kheda holds more than half of these villages, according to TOI report. Similarly, an uncle of Parmar whose daughter was subjected to slurs as well at the event has attested that this is not the first time Thakurs have attacked Dalits, and narrates that “In 2018, a Dalit boy was attacked for having a meal with boys of other communities during a marriage event.” He has also stated that it is a normal routine; Dalits are not allowed to attend religious or social festivities in the village. This is certainly not the first reported incident of violence against Dalits. In August 2017, a similar event had unfolded in Gujarat during the garba festival where a Dalit man was lynched in Gujarat’s Anand district when he had gone to see the garba festival. He was attacked by men from the Patel community who similarly had told him that he ‘had no right to watch’ a garba festival, according to the Indian Express.

Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu

On October 30th, two young Dalit boys were attacked brutally, with their valuables stolen, in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli, according to ANI. The victims, S Manoj Kumar and S Mariappan are currently receiving medical treatment at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital are both aged 21 and 19 respectively.

The incident has elicited strong reactions from the local community and activists who have condemned this brutal act of caste-based violence. Some community leaders have also accused the police of downplaying the gravity of the incident with leaders suggesting that the police might be trying to downplay the severity of the incident and instead are trying to portray it merely as a robbery. However, the Tirunelveli City Police Commissioner C Mageswari has rejected these allegations. She has assured the public that a thorough and impartial investigation is underway.

The incident occurred on Monday night when the two victims decided to visit the Thamirabarani river at around 7:30 PM for a bath. According to statements given by the victims while addressing the media from their hospital beds, the victims have stated that the attack escalated the minute they discovered that they were Dalits. The assailants further worsened the level of violence and ordered them to disrobe, and subjected them to the humiliation of being urinated on. Additionally, the attackers stole silver jewellery and mobile phones from the victims. However, the horrifying ordeal did not end there; the attackers furthermore demanded money from their victims and in response. Following this demand, one of the victims had to urgently reach out to his employer to send Rs 5,000.

This entire harrowing incident stretched from 7:45 PM to 1 AM, marking over 5 hours of agony, terror and humiliation. Once the requested money was credited, one of the accused used the victim’s motorcycle to go to a nearby ATM to withdraw cash. One of the victims has stated that “They also took Rs 5,000, two mobile phones and ATM cards from us before chasing us away from the spot. After going to a relative’s house nearby, we contacted our parents, who admitted us to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital,” one of the victims told the police.

Subsequently, the Thachanallur police registered cases against the alleged perpetrators: Ponmani, Nallamuthu, Aayiram, Ramar, Lakshmanan, and Siva, all hailing from Tirunelveli. The accused have been detained and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act, 2015.

The accused belong to a backward caste community and have now been arrested by the Tirunelveli city police. They are accused of stealing the victims’ valuable and brutally attacking them and are also accused of torturing the two Dalit youths in a horrifying manner, at the riverbed. According to a report by The NewsMinute, the accused belong to the Maravar community. The NewsMinute report also stated that in the area south of Tamil Nadu, the Vellalars are an “assertive” Dalit group. Therefore, the Vellalars and the Maravars are often seen to be “locked in bitter battles.”

Related:

Continued Surge of Violence against Dalits Spans Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu

Standing Strong: CJP aids Dalit woman labelled as ‘Doubtful Citizen’

Mahatma Gandhi on Caste: the Varna-Ashrama System

UP: Dalit man allegedly maimed, his pregnant wife beaten by Caste Hindus in Etah

The post “Dalits banned for social gatherings,” Harrowing incidents of violence against Dalits appeared first on SabrangIndia.

“Segregation not only harms one physically but injures one spiritually. It scars the soul. It is a system which forever stares the segregated in the face, saying you are less than. You are not equal to.”

– Martin Luther King Jr

Poor access to public services like ready piped water and sewage facilities marks the areas where both Dalits and Muslims are relegated to live. This is especially true in Indian cities.

A recent study exposes this distressing reality of residential segregation and stigma faced by Muslims and Dalits in Indian cities. It argues that segregation ends up relegating marginalised Muslims and Dalits to areas with poor access to public services like piped water and sewage facilities, bringing these groups to the brink of precarity and maintaining their presence at the bottom of the hierarchy. These latest findings align with previous research demonstrating the prevalence of segregated living based on caste and religious identity in urban Indian cities.

While Dalits continue to suffer a historical prejudice and cruel exclusion, for Muslims the past four decades have seen the slide. A recent Pew research exposes the distressing reality that while 45 % of Hindus show an openness to have neighbours of all faiths, a worrying 45 per cent exhibit a preference for excluding neighbours of certain religions. Specifically, 36% of Hindus do not desire Muslim neighbours. The Pew research also reveals that most Jains (61%) are unwilling to have neighbours from at least one religious group, with 54% indicating their refusal to accept Muslim neighbours.

Now an international study conducted by Novosad and shared on twitter, conducted by renowned developmental economists gives us the startling reality of urban India’s ghettoisation. The recent study confirms earlier findings by the Sachar Committee in 2006 and work done by academics in 2018 and thereafter,

Soon after the post Babri Masjid-demolition driven targeted communal violence in Bombay in December 1992-January 1993, Teesta Setalvad’s field study, published in Communalism Combat mapped the impact of the violence on community insecurity and how Muslims were driven to find “safety” in certain neighbourhoods. See Their Bombay, Our Bombay, December 1993, Communalism Combat republished here.

The 2023 study has now found that religious and caste-based segregation in India is comparable to the levels of Black/White segregation currently observed in the United States. However, it is less severe than the peak levels experienced in the US during the 1960s and 1970s.

The study involved over 1.5 million urban dwellings in India, indicating that despite rapid urbanisation, caste and religious divisions persist, resulting in the segregation of marginalised communities and their limited access to essential services.

The study was conducted by five developmental economists from renowned institutions, namely Sam Asher from Imperial College London, Kritarth Jha from the Washington-based Development Lab, Paul Novosad from Dartmouth College, Anjali Adukia from the University of Chicago, and Brandon Tan from the International Monetary Fund—their collaborative efforts aimed to quantitatively measure segregation in urban areas of India. The findings of their research, compiled in a paper titled “Residential Segregation and Unequal Access to Local Public Services in India: Evidence from 1.5m Neighbourhoods,” were recently shared by Novosad on Twitter.

A significant percentage of India’s Muslims and Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Dalits reside in neighbourhoods where the majority population is of the same religious or caste group. This pattern of segregation is prevalent in both urban and rural areas, and the level of segregation is even higher for Muslims.

The study’s findings are consistent with other research that highlights the pervasive residential segregation based on caste and religious identity in Indian cities. Despite 75 years of independence, Muslims and Dalits continue to face the worst discrimination in urban housing, with limited signs of improvement. Both communities encounter prejudice and limited social and economic mobility. Additionally, the waves of communal violence have resulted in the ghettoisation of Muslims in riot-prone cities, irrespective of their social class, education, and status.

According to Massey and Denton (1993), extensive studies conducted using data primarily from the 1970-1980 decade revealed that African Americans in the United States faced a situation of near-apartheid. These levels of residential separation experienced by African Americans were largely unresponsive to improvements in their socioeconomic status. African Americans remained highly segregated even in metropolitan areas where they had relatively higher incomes and education.

The recent study by Novostad et al. proves that neighbourhoods predominantly inhabited by SCs and Muslims have limited access to government-provided public services compared to other neighbourhoods within the same cities. The Sachar Committee has also previously made similar observations regarding Muslims in India. Various essential services such as secondary schools, healthcare facilities, electricity, water, and sewage systems are consistently of inferior quality in SC and Muslim neighbourhoods. This disparity in service provision is extremely substantial, with one exception being the presence of urban primary schools, which are relatively more common in urban SC neighbourhoods but less prevalent in rural SC neighbourhoods and similarly both urban and rural Muslim neighbourhoods.

“Young people in SC neighbourhoods have systematically worse outcomes than those in non-SC neighbourhoods — but the difference is mostly explained by the economic status of their families. This does not rule out a negative causal effect of growing up in an SC neighbourhood on child outcomes, because those parent outcomes could themselves be caused by living in a bad neighbourhood. For example, parents might invest less in their house (lowering the value of the consumption control) if they lack security of tenure.”

Children growing up in SC and Muslim neighbourhoods face disadvantages compared to those residing in non-marginalized neighbourhoods within the same cities. This disparity holds true even for non-SC non-Muslim children residing in SC and Muslim neighbourhoods. For instance, a child growing up in a neighbourhood with 100% Muslim population can expect to receive two fewer years of education compared to a child in a neighbourhood with no Muslims. Similarly, children in SC neighbourhoods experience a slightly smaller educational disadvantage. The neighbourhood effect explains approximately half of the urban educational disadvantage faced by SC and Muslim children.

Research indicates that neighbourhoods with a higher concentration of Muslims or Scheduled Castes (SC) have poorer educational outcomes. For instance, 17-18-year-olds in neighbourhoods that are 100% Muslim have 2.1 fewer years of education compared to those in neighbourhoods with no Muslims. Similarly, SC neighbourhoods have an educational disadvantage of -1.6 years.

According to the authors, residential segregation has a significant impact on cross-group inequality in India, particularly for marginalised social groups such as Muslims and Scheduled Castes. These groups face barriers in accessing public services and experience educational disparities, highlighting the need for addressing residential segregation and its consequences.

In a paper titled “Fractal Urbanism: City Size and Residential Segregation in India” (2021), authors Naveen Bharathi, Deepak Malghan, Sumit Mishra, and Andaleeb Rahman concluded that caste-based residential segregation is prevalent even in India’s most urbanised centres, with no significant variation based on city population size or growth over the past six decades.

One can observe similarities with the case of blacks in the USA, as the authors of the paper mentioned above argue that despite the ‘emancipatory promise of urbanisation’, Dalits and Muslims continue to face marginalisation as they are confined to neighbourhoods with inadequate access to public services. The findings suggest that even individuals belonging to elite or affluent backgrounds are limited to a few specific neighbourhoods, further reinforcing the pattern of segregation.

2018 Study confirms caste-based segregation

Furthermore, a research paper published in 2018 by three co-authors, Naveen Bharathi, Deepak Malghan, and Andaleeb Rahman, provided insights into caste-based residential segregation in specific cities. The study revealed that 30% of Delhi’s neighbourhoods, 60% of Kolkata’s, and 80% of Rajkot’s lacked any significant presence of Dalits and Adivasis. These findings underscore the alarming extent of exclusion experienced by marginalised communities in urban areas.

While the Census of India does not publicly release enumeration block data on religious lines, ongoing research by Naveen Bharathi indicates that Muslims face the highest levels of segregation in urban areas of Karnataka.

The promise of urbanisation as an emancipatory force has failed to materialise for Dalits and Muslims as their identities continue to shape their living conditions. Indian cities remain organised along caste and religious lines, undermining the notion of anonymity often associated with urban spaces.

Noteworthy scholars have explored the issue of residential segregation and the marginalisation of Muslims in Indian cities. For instance, Christophe Jaffrelot, a senior research fellow at CERI-Sciences, Paris, has discussed how the Disturbed Areas Act in Gujarat has been misused to prevent Muslims from mixing with other communities.

Gujarat’s Disturbed Areas Act

Jaffrelot has extensively studied the issue of urban segregation and the misuse of the Disturbed Areas Act in Indian cities. In his research, he explains that the Disturbed Areas Act, enacted in 1991, was originally intended to prevent distress sales and sales under duress in areas affected by communal riots. However, he points out that the state has wielded this law to restrict Muslims from mixing with other communities in major cities. The act allows Muslims to sell their properties to Hindus, but not vice versa, leading to the perpetuation of residential segregation.

In one of his writings, Jaffrelot highlights how the Gujarat government, prior to Narendra Modi’s tenure as prime minister, declared 40% of Ahmedabad as “disturbed” under the act. He also notes that in more recent times, the state government has classified new areas in Surat and Vadodara as “disturbed,” even though no riots took place there.

Thereby, cities in India exhibit significant levels of segregation, which is only slightly lower than in rural areas. In rural areas, neighbourhood composition is heavily influenced by the caste system, which has historically determined occupation and social status. In urban neighbourhoods, the religious and caste identities of residents strongly predict their access to public services and socioeconomic standing. Both Muslims and Scheduled Castes face high levels of segregation, but Muslims, in particular, experience greater challenges in accessing public services due to their segregated living arrangements. The rapid urbanisation in India has, to a large extent, replicated the caste and religious divisions observed in rural villages.

The Sanatana Dharma Parirakshana Trust

In 2014, the Sanathana Dharma Parirakshana Trust embarked on the development of an exclusive township, aiming to revive the traditions of the Brahmin community that were deemed to have diminished in modern India. The brochures promoting the township explicitly expressed the developers’ desire to “bring back the tradition of Brahmins” that they believed had ceased to exist in contemporary India.

Prospective buyers were required to complete thorough application forms, subject to scrutiny by the Trust, in order to purchase plots within the township. Notably, the Trust imposed a restriction that allowed plots to be resold exclusively to individuals belonging to the Brahmin community.

Concerned by these practices, K V Dhananjay, an advocate, and his colleagues lodged a petition with the Supreme Court, seeking legal action to halt these activities (which occurred in 2014).

Pew Research Centre

Pew Research Centre highlights the distressing reality that many Hindus (45%) exhibit a preference for excluding neighbours of certain religions. While a significant portion of Hindus claim openness to neighbours from all religious backgrounds, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, an equal percentage (45%) express unwillingness to accept followers of at least one of these groups. Specifically, 36% of Hindus do not desire Muslim neighbours. The study also reveals that most Jains (61%) are unwilling to have neighbours from at least one religious group, with 54% indicating their refusal to accept Muslim neighbours.

Historically, cities in India had neighbourhoods with people of similar occupations and sometimes mixed religions. These neighbourhoods were self-governing, handling their own public services and even self-defence. Many neighbourhoods had limited entry points, leading to distinct boundaries between them. This structure continues today, resulting in segregated neighbourhoods.

However, modern-day residential segregation of marginalised social groups in poor neighbourhoods contributes to ongoing inequality between different groups. It has negative effects, such as increased discrimination in accessing public services, limited employment opportunities, and perpetuation of stereotypes. These disadvantages are difficult to address because segregation patterns persist over time.

Muslim neighbourhoods have increasingly become more concentrated due to safety concerns following Hindu-Muslim violence. These neighbourhoods are home to individuals from various social classes, with income segregation also existing within them.

Related:

Their Bombay, Our Bombay, December 1993

Film as Propaganda: the months between June 2023 & May 2024

Uttarkashi: Cross marks, “leave” threats on Muslim shops, hatred spreads to other towns: Uttarakhand

Hidden Apartheid

Love & Harmony over Hate: Int’l Day to Counter Hate speech, CJP’s unique efforts

CJP moves NCM against the repeated hate speeches by Pravin Togadia

The post Theirs & ours, how Indian cities discriminate against Dalits & Muslims appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A series of atrocities committed against the Dalit community have made national headlines this April. Ironically this is also the month that we dedicate to celebrating Dalit history. “Honour” killings, caste-based intolerance leading to murders, rapes, and even enforced “penance” are only a few instances of these incidents. In many cases, the perpetrators were apprehended, compensation was announced, and outrage was registered by all. Such incidents, however, are just a drop in the bucket compared to the violence and oppression that Dalits continue to face in India.

The situation has deteriorated to the point where every day serves as a reminder of how caste oppression is systemic and woven into the fabric of Indian society, some of which is exacerbated by government negligence or even complicity, given that state and law enforcement structures are heavily influenced by a bias towards more privileged sections.

Although the month of April is celebrated as Dalit History Month, a month which is significant for Dalit communities because the month marks the birth and death anniversaries of significant Dalit leaders and social reformers who participated/led movement against systemic discrimination, with Dr. Bhim Rao (Babasaheb) Ambedkar birth anniversary on April 14, Jyotirao Phule’s birth anniversary on  April 11 and Mangu Ram Mugowalia’s death Anniversary on April 22, there has been no let up in the targeted violence.

How much has the condition of Dalits in the country really improved in 2023?

The incidents

Rajasthan:

The death of a Dalit man, who was allegedly killed by a group of persons from the privileged castes people in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, has resulted in some widespread outrage. The political class is however relatively silent while civil rights groups have spoken up.

On April 13, Kojaram, aged 40, was killed around 10 in morning, in Barmer’s Asadi village over a six-year-long land dispute. The killing was protracted and brutal, tortuous. Significantly, the victim, now dead, had filed nine cases of harassment over the years pointing to assault, encroachment, and disputes with the police. In four of these cases, charge sheets had also been filed, and the accused has previously been imprisoned, (India Today). Despite this he had to lose his life to a violent attack!

According to the report filed at the Girab police station after Kojaram’s death by his son Indra Kumar, Kojaram had left for the farm around 7:30 a.m. with his two daughters – Mamta and Jhamu – to take the goats to the field, when they were attacked by a group of about 16 people wielding sharp weapons.

According to NDTV, the accused kidnapped the victim’s two daughters and threatened them. It is also being alleged that a video made rounds on social media where an injured Kojaram was seen screaming for help with his daughters.

According to the police report, two people – Sadularam and Chagu Devi – rushed out of their homes to save Kojaram, but the attackers stopped them and threatened to kill them if they tried to help the victim. Sadularam had then subsequently informed the police and, with help from others, put Kojaram in a car and took him to the Barmer hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. 

According to senior police authorities, after attacking Kojaram, the suspects went to his home and told family members they had killed him before fleeing, reported News24. According to India Today, the assailants from the privileged castes have been identified as Narendra Singh, Jitendra Singh, Ravindra Singh, Raipal Singh, Gulab Singh, Mahendra Singh, Vikram Singh, Khim Singh, Bihari Singh, Jograj Singh, Devi Singh, Sadul Singh, Sawai Singh, Nakhat Singh, Ram Singh and Dev Kanwar’s wife Gulab Singh.

Narendra Singh and Vikram Singh had allegedly abused Kojaram’s wife while he and his family were having dinner on March 14 around 1:30 a.m., according to a previous complaint filed by Kojaram on March 15. According to the complaint, the accused brought a tractor and threatened not to leave without killing Kojaram. The police had allegedly registered the complaint but did not take any action. Kojaram had expressed concern about an unfavorable incident happening to him.

Family members have claimed that they had often alerted authorities about the dangers they faced, but callously, no action was taken. It is also being alleged that there was no land dispute other than the fact that Kojaram, a Dalit man, was living across the house of a Rajput family. Caste discrimination and intolerance cost Kojaram his life, including ignorance shown by the authorities. Kojaram’s family is now protesting the murder and demanding jobs for two members as well as Rs 1 crore in compensation.

The post can be viewed here:

राजस्थान: एक और जातिगत हत्या!

बाड़मेर में एक SC मजदूर कोजाराम मेघवाल की लोहे की रॉड से पीटकर हत्या कर दी गई। इस हत्या के पीछे पुलिस की उदासीनता भी जिम्मेदार है।

चूंकि हत्यारे राजपूत हैं। अतः पीड़ित की अनेकों शिकायतों के बावजूद भी पुलिस मूकदर्शक बनी रही।
pic.twitter.com/wCFc4cxKbB

— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) April 12, 2023

Before this incident, another incident of caste based atrocity against a Dalit woman was reported from Pachpadra police station area of the Barmer district of Rajasthan. On April 6, a Dalit woman was raped and set afire. She died during treatment at a government hospital in Jodhpur. The 44-year-old woman had suffered around 50 per cent burn injuries due to a highly inflammatory chemical that was thrown at her. The woman was initially admitted to Nahata hospital in Balotra for treatment but was later referred to Jodhpur as her condition worsened, as reported by India Today. On April 9, the Dalit woman died of burn injuries during treatment. 

According to media reports, the family of the Dalit woman had staged a protest outside the mortuary hospital for more than 18 hours demanding justice, before agreeing for a postmortem. The relatives of the woman also alleged that the police hesitated to register the case initially. The Dalit community had protested over the incident and demanded the family should get Rs 1 crore compensation, a government job and capital punishment for the accused. After getting assurance from the district administration of getting their relevant demands were completed, the family members ended their protest and agreed for postmortem.

According to police, the woman in her complaint stated that 30-year-old Shakoor Khan, her neighbor, had trespassed her house and raped her. After the incident, when the accused felt that the woman would reveal his identity, the accused threw thinner on the woman, set her afire and fled the spot.

On April 7, the police had registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and detained Shakoor Khan. The accused was initially booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 450 (house-trespass to commit offence), and some sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. But later the sections of murder under IPC Section 302 were also added to the FIR.

Uttar Pradesh:

A group of property dealers allegedly attacked a Dalit man in Lucknow’s Indira Nagar in order to stop him from selling his land. According to the police, the accused also made casteist remarks and demanded extortion from him, reports Siasat Daily.

According to other media reports, Deen Dayal of Rasoolpur Sadat village in Indira Nagar sold his land to one Vishal Yadav, and the sale deed was recently registered at the Bakshi Ka Talab registrar’s office. Several days later, Deen Dayal and Vishal went to the field to show him the land, where they were met by property dealers Abhijeet Vishen, Pawan Yadav, Anand, and 5-6 unidentified people.

According to the victim’s account, the accused surrounded them and called them by their caste in a derogatory way, enraged that the victim had dared to sell the land without paying extortion to the accused. “After that, they opened fire on us. I was fortunate to escape the bullets. They then attacked us with bricks, injuring both me and Vishal. The miscreants fled the scene, warning us not to return to the land,” the victim stated.

The post can be viewed here:

A group of youths, working as property dealers, allegedly attacked a Dalit man here to stop him from selling his land. They hurled casteist remarks and demanding extortion from him in Lucknow’s Indira Nagar, the police said…https://t.co/fzKpw5ZVZQ

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) April 13, 2023

In yet another instance of caste-based discrimination, the owner of a marriage hall has been charged for allegedly canceling a reservation after learning that the groom was a Dalit. Raees Abbasi, the owner of the hall, denied the allegations, while police assured the family that the wedding would take place at the venue.

As reported by the Republicworld, Circle Officer of the area, Ruchita Chaudhary, informed that Jaideep, who had had booked the hall of Raees Abbasi for the marriage of his sister, had filed a complaint in the said incident. In his complaint, it was provided that “Jaideep had booked the hall of Raees Abbasi for the marriage of his sister scheduled for April 9. When Abbasi came to know that the groom is a Valmiki (Scheduled Caste community), he informed me that the reservation has been cancelled and I should look for another venue,”

However, Abbasi said he did not cancel the booking but was averse to the cooking of non-vegetarian food at the venue. “I only opposed the cooking of non-vegetarian food at the venue. I neither said any caste-related thing to anyone nor was the booking cancelled,” he had told PTI.

Hyderabad:

On April 9, an incident of “honour” killing was reported, in which a Dalit youth was stabbed to death by his girlfriend’s relatives due to caste differences. The incident occurred in Nalgonda’s Nidamanur mandal. Irigi Naveen, 21, of Tripuraram Mandal’s Annaram village, was identified as the deceased.

According to the police, the girl’s relatives murdered Naveen when he approached them with a marriage proposal. According to ETV Bharat, Miryalaguda Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Venkatagiri, Naveen fell in love with a girl from the same village four years ago.

Both families were opposed to the relationship because the young couple belonged to different castes. It has been claimed that Naveen consumed poison prior to the attack, after the girl’s family had objected to their relationship, for which he was hospitalised. Following this, the girl’s relatives Navadeep, Manideep, and Shivprasad threatened to kill Naveen if he met her again.

On Sunday, the day of the killing, Naveen and his friend, Eta Anil of Annaram village, had traveled to Palvai Tirumal of Guntipalli in Nidamanur Mandal to meet with the girl’s family and persuade them to accept their marriage proposal. Thirumal, Naveen’s friend, had also called the girl’s family to talk. Post this, around nine people with sharp weapons arrived at the spot on three two-wheelers and attacked Naveen and his friends. 

Anil and Thirumal managed to flee while the bike-riding miscreants brutally thrashed Naveen and stabbed him in the chest and stomach with sharp weapons, according to DSP Venkatagiri. Naveen died on the spot before anyone could come to his aid. The miscreants fled the scene. Based on Anil’s complaint, a case has been filed against the girl’s family members, and the police have begun an investigation to apprehend the accused. According to ETV Bharat, Halia Circle Inspector Gandhi Naik and Nidamanur Sub Inspector Shobhan Babu are leading the investigation.

The post can be viewed here:

तेलंगाना : प्रेम करने की दलित युवक को मिली सज़ा, जातियाँ अलग होने की वजह से लड़की के परिवार वालों ने चाकुओं से गोदकर की हत्या@TelanganaCOPs https://t.co/FL3ImPaXo8 pic.twitter.com/5K06JHtkyY

— Dalit Times | दलित टाइम्स (@DalitTime) April 10, 2023

West Bengal:

On April 14, Ambedkar Jayanti, seven days after three tribal women were forced to crawl and perform the “Dandavat Parikrama” in Balurghat, police have arrested two people under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, among other provisions. According to reports in The Indian Express, amongst those arrested are Biswanath Das, an aide of Paradipta Chakraborty, former district Mahila Trinamool Congress, who was arrested a day after the incident; and Ananda Roy, general secretary of Balurghat Town Trinamool Youth Congress. Roy also works as a contract employee for the Balurghat Municipality.

On April 6, the local BJP unit held a program in which it claimed that over 100 people, mostly women, had joined them. A next day, on Good Friday, the three women had allegedly crawled from close to the BJP’s local office to the TMC’s district headquarters. According to the Indian Express, the three tribal women – Martina Kisku, Thakran Soren, and Shiuli Mardi – seen crawling in a 27-second video purportedly from the BJP to the TMC office in Balurghat as “penance” for joining the BJP, said they were never with the BJP.

Pradipta Chakraborty, president of the district TMC women’s wing, told the media the same day that the three women had been duped into joining the BJP and had performed the “parikrama” as “penance” before rejoining the TMC.

The act was captured on camera, causing widespread outrage. Sajal Ghosh, public prosecutor at Balurghat district court has provided that in the above mentioned case, two persons were arrested in this case (and) booked under IPC Sections 505 (incitement), 509 (insulting the modesty of women) and SC, ST Atrocities Act. It has been further provided that these accused were produced in court and remanded to judicial custody, and will be produced in court again on April 17.

According to the Indian Express, in addition to the above mentioned sections, section 3(1)(r) of SC and ST Atrocities Act, which deals with intentionally insulting or intimidating with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view, has been invoked.

Mrinal Sarkar, district TMC chief, spoke to the Indian Express and stated that “One of those arrested is in a party post. He will be removed soon. The police will take action against the guilty and will have to see that innocent people are not harassed in the case.”

Conclusion

Caste dynamics pervade every aspect of life in vast areas of India, and thought not exclusive to, are manifest more sharply in rural areas. An overall indifference among the political class and citizenry blunt the much needed outrage to this continuing systemic violence and exclusion. As can be seen from the cases reported in April 2023, the malaise cuts across regions and occurs in states governed by different political dispensations. Often the violence is heightened as more articulate sections among Dalits oppose oppressions and denial and demand basic rights. Incidents of brute violence by teachers within schools showcase the discrimination within schools, killings and rapes display the worst kind of manifest violence. The continued prevalence of manual scavenging, denial of access to public facilities such as public taps, temples, and burial grounds, the Indian Constitution’s guarantees of equality and liberation continue to be denied to India’s most depressed sections, the Dalits.

The incidents also demonstrate that there is a systemic non-accountability of the law and order machinery in our country, as well as widespread infringements on the Dalit community’s rights. The community’s constitutional guarantees of right to life, liberty, and dignity under Article 21 remain on paper, and their rights guaranteed under Articles 15 and 17, which prohibit caste discrimination and abolish untouchability, remain violated. Stringent sections of the Scheduled Caste and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 amended in 2015 also stand violated.

For any measure of state and societal accountability to be ensured, a political and executive will needs to be displayed. Combined with accountability from the judiciary and law enforcement machinery.

Related:

March 2023 Round up of attacks on Dalits

How long will Dalits and Adivasis students succumb to violent caste discrimination before effective measures are created?

Dalit MBBS female intern allegedly died by suicide due to caste discrimination

Dalit Sanitation Worker Dies by Suicide in Gram Panchayat Office in Telangana

Courts say, calling a person by caste name is not an offence: Explained

Manual Scavenging continues unabated, Indian Govts turns a deaf ear to acknowledge this systemic, extreme violence

The post Anti-Dalit violence all pervasive even in April 2023, #DalitHistory month appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 “You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole.”– Dr BR Ambedkar

These words Dr Ambedkar wrote in 1936 are a part of the book called “annihilation of caste”, and more than 8 decades later, these words are, unfortunately, still relevant. This is, albeit, just one of the many thoughts and words of Babasaheb which remain relevant as the caste system persists and the discrimination still thrives.

We present a round up of acts of violence and inherent discrimination against Dalits reported from different parts of the country, in the month of March.

Dalit homes burnt for dancing in procession

On March 5, an incident was reported from Karnataka where two homes belonging to Dalit were set ablaze by villagers as they were opposed to Dalit children dancing in the village fair procession. A village fair was being held at Nandihalli village in Haveri district when some children and youth from Dalit community started dancing in the procession. A section of villagers opposed this saying that they had contributed money for the fair and that Dalits should not take part in it. What followed was an altercation and later that night when 12 members of the family were sleeping in two houses next to each other, a group of villagers threw logs of wood and poured petrol and set the house on fire hoping the fire would spread to the other house as well.

Attacked for playing Dalit liberation song

A twitter account called @HateDetector posted a video on March 8 showing a family seated in a vehicle being harassed by some men and the men then enter the vehicle and mercilessly thrashing the young boy, giving him repeated blows. This incident allegedly took place in Bhuvanagari, Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu. The people in the video appear to be speaking in Tamil, hence it is difficult to certainly verify what prompted the attack. However, it is alleged by Hate Detector that the Dalit family was ruthlessly assaulted by Vanniyar caste men when the former was returning from a pilgrimage, as they were apparently playing a song about Dalit liberation from a movie featuring well known Tamil actor Dhanush. While thrashing the Dalits, the Vanniyar men hurled caste slurs as well.

Reportedly, the police intervened after some time and were taking the Dalit to the Hospital and on their way to the hospital as well, the vehicle was stopped by some other Vanniyar men and the group of Dalits was beaten up again.

The song is from a #Dhanush movie which is about #Dalit liberation. The Vanniyar men used caste slurs & abused the #Dalits & started thrashing them.

After sometime there was police intervention & seriously hurt Dalits were transported to a nearby hospital by an ambulance. pic.twitter.com/IeDAgEDTqu

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) March 8, 2023

In Basti, Uttar Pradesh a video erupted on March 9 where, as per the account of the Dalit victims, they were beaten up by privileged caste men as they were out to buy groceries and were being threatened and not allowed to enter the village.

Dalits who went to buy grocery beaten by goons in #Basti, #UttarPradesh.#Dalits #Casteism pic.twitter.com/LfFB8QOYSF

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) March 9, 2023

On March 9, a Dalit MBBS intern working at the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Science and Research in Amritsar, Punjab, allegedly facing caste discrimination, died by suicide. Her mother, Kamlesh Rani filed an FIR at the local police station in Vallah while alleging that her daughter, Pompesh, was subjected to discrimination and casteist slurs by her colleagues and two professors as well.

On March 13, a Dalit sanitation worker allegedly died by suicide in gram panchayat office in Bibipet Mandal, Kamareddy district of Telangana due to the non-payment of his salary since past after 4 months. Families of as many as 12 sanitation workers who have died since 2020, did not receive due compensation for their kin, reported the Times of India on March 26, 2022.

Minor boys beaten by Police for playing DJ music

On March 14, A shocking incident of being oppressed by the protector came to light in Aurangabad, Bihar as minor Dalit boys were beaten up by the police for playing DJ music during Holi celebration. The women then sat on an indefinite Dharna against this abhorrent act. This incident took place in Bantara village of Devkund police station in Aurangabad. The women sitting in protest demanded that the police officer, Subodh Kumar Singh, be suspended. The women, interviewed by NavBharat Times said they were going to indefinitely sit there on a hunger protest. They also claimed that false cases were filed against them. They also claimed that the women who went to save the children from the beatings were also beaten up by the police and false cases filed against them. A five-member delegation of CPI joined the dharna and supported the Dalits, reported NBT.

Dalit family attacked over land dispute

On March 18, an incident surfaced from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, when a Dalit family was attacked by “upper-caste” Thakur men after the former wanted to take possession of their disputed farmland in Kalva village. It is being alleged that the Thakur family wanted to snatch the land, and had attacked the Dalit family during wheat harvesting. Seven members, including women and children, were seriously injured, and one died as a result of those injuries.

Minor beaten for drinking from common bucket

On March 20, a Dalit boy was allegedly beaten up by his school teacher, Shashi Yadav in Jalaun, UP, for drinking water from a common bucket. Yadav allegedly locked the boy inside a room and physically assaulted him so severely that his nose began to bleed profusely. Ankush’s mother also alleged in the police report that the teacher’s actions were driven by her casteist mindset. When she confronted the teacher about this issue, the latter remained defiant and even threatened to ruin Ankush’s future by striking his name off the school rolls. 

On March 22, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani claimed that in last 24 hours, 4 incidents of Dalit atrocities had come to light including w incidents of death of Dalits while cleaning sewers in Rajkot; Alleged rape of a Dalit girl in Mahisagar and a Dalit being beaten up by local goons. These pieces of news, however, could not be verified.

In last 24 hours, Gujarat has witnessed atleast four cases of dalit atrocities.
Two People died of sewer cleaning in Rajkot.
One young girl was allegedly raped & killed in Mahisagar dist.
This is another video where a dalit is being beaten by local goons.

Amrit Kaal ? pic.twitter.com/HB9plTRcOR

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) March 22, 2023

On March 23, in Uttarakhand’s Someshwar, Almora district, Dalit women were stopped from entering a temple. A girl said they were told that “If their parents were not allowed to visit the temple, how can you visit it”. A local news channel reported this incident where they interviewed the girls. The girls said that they were stopped by saying that the temple is not for Dalits. One of  the girls said that they entered bigger temples elsewhere and nobody had stopped them. “The god is same in all temples then why are we being stopped?,” one girl posed the question. Another woman said, “ they think just because our previous generation remained silent and bore such discrimination, they thought we will too.” They said such people should be taught a lesson and that they want justice.

In #Uttarakhand‘s #Almora, #Dalit daughters were stopped from going into a temple.

A girl said they were told that “If their parents were not allowed to visit the temple, how can you visit it”.#Dalits #Casteism #DalitLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/8BOnKzuaRA

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) March 23, 2023

Dalit activist heckled for raising caste issues

Dalit writer and activist, Shalin Maria Lawrence has been facing repeated targeted harassment on Twitter as well as Facebook over the past year, specifically from handles associated with the DMK, ruling party in Tamil Nadu and the BJP, ruling party in Union. Shalin has used social media to raise awareness of caste-related atrocities in Tamil Nadu, especially those that might not find a mention in regional media.

Dalit beaten over allegation of cow slaughter

It was reported on March 27, that a Dalit youth mistaken to be from Muslim community was beaten up by extremists over allegations of cow slaughter in Bargaon Village of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

Dalit youth mistaken to be #Muslim beaten by extremists over allegations of cow slaughter in #Bargaon Village of #Saharanpur district in #UttarPradesh.pic.twitter.com/xssode7JjC

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) March 26, 2023

Dalit man tonsured, face blackened

In UP’s Brahmpuri, Meerut, a shameful incident of a Dalit youth, Lakhan being tonsured amidst a crowd came up on March 27. His face was visibly blackened and was surrounded by a group of people who were also thrashing him. Some women can also be seen hitting him with their sandals. The hands of the man were also tied. He was being kicked and thrashed repeatedly.  Meerut police confirmed that it was a dispute between two families and 4 people were arrested in this matter and further investigation is being carried out.

#Horrible In UP’s Meerut, A Dalit youth Lakhan’s Hand and feet tied to the tree and his face was blackened and then made bald in front of the crowd. During this, a garland of shoes and slippers was also put around his neck… pic.twitter.com/HOllJEYxta

— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) March 27, 2023

Related:

How long will Dalits and Adivasis students succumb to violent caste discrimination before effective measures are created?

Dalit MBBS female intern allegedly died by suicide due to caste discrimination

Dalit Sanitation Worker Dies by Suicide in Gram Panchayat Office in Telangana

Courts say, calling a person by caste name is not an offence: Explained

The post March 2023 Round up of attacks on Dalits appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Clashes broke out between the Dalit community and the privileged castes in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh as the Dalits were denied entry in a Shiv temple on the day of Mahashivratri. After a physical altercation, stones were pelted by both groups, wherein 14 persons were injured.

In Chhapra village, Sanawad in Khargone over 100 persons in two separate cases have been booked as either side filed an FIR in this matter. Premlal, a Dalit filed an FIR alleging that one Bhaiya lal Gurjar from Gurjar community stopped Dalit girls from entering the temple.

Sub Divisional Officer of Police Vinod Dixit said that there were already tensions between the two communities in connection with a proposal to construct a statue of BR Ambedkar near the temple and the cutting of a banyan tree, reported Scroll.

A #Dalit women #ManjuBai was abused by caste & shoved by women for offering water to the #Shivlinga in #MadhyaPradesh‘s #Khargone.

The dispute led to the clash & stones were pleated from both sides leaving 14 injured.

2 FIRs, one from each, were lodged & over 100 people booked. pic.twitter.com/FgL11O6U1X

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 20, 2023

Another similar incident took place in Chhoti Kasrawad village where Manju Bai, a Dlait owman was prevented from praying at the Shiv temple. Manju Bai alleged that she was abused over her caste and shoved by other women who objected to her offering water to a Shivling. While a case has been filed, the woman prayed at the temple amidst police protection.

Last year as well, during Mahashivratri, Khargone saw a similar incident where a priest, Vijay Barvey, denied entry to a Dalit woman at a temple in Dendla village. Despite multiple requests the priest maintained that a Dalit cannot enter the temple.

This takes us back to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Kalaram temple Entry movement of March 1930 which was more than just a movement for the right to enter a temple. It was a movement for equal rights. Dr Ambedkar viewed temple entry as a means of parity and not as an end goal of the depressed classes.

“If the Hindu religion is to be their religion, then it must become a religion of Social Equality. The mere amendment of Hindu religious code by the mere inclusion in it of a provision to permit temple entry for all, cannot make it a religion of equality of social status. All that it can do is to recognise them as nationals not aliens, if I may use the common terms which have become so familiar in politics. But that cannot mean that they would thereby reach a position where they would be free and equal. , without being above and below anyone else, for the simple reason that the Hindu religion does not recognise the principle of equality of social status : on the other hand it fosters inequality by insisting upon grading people as Brahmins, Kshatrias, Vaishyas and Shudras, which now stand toward one another in an ascending scale of hatred and descending scale of contempt,”  said Dr Ambedkar in his argument denying support to Dr. Subbarayan’s Temple entry Bill.

Denial of entry to a temple not only violates right against discrimination under Article 15, right to equality before law (Article 14) of the Constitution but also violates Article 17 that abolishes untouchability.

Related:

TN: Over 200 Dalits Enter Village Temple in Tiruvannamalai Amid Protests From Dominant Castes

K’taka HC says downtrodden still unable to do business like “upper caste”

Tamil Nadu: Dalit family in Thoothukudi allegedly denied use of road to crematorium

The post Dozens injured as Dalits denied entry into Shiv temple in MP appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On February 11, the family of a 72-year-old man from the Pallar community, which is classified as Scheduled Caste, was barred from accessing a public road going to the common crematorium in the Thoothukudi district’s Naduvakurichi. The Nadar community, classified as the Other Backward Class (OBC), allegedly denied the family access to the road, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mannarkaravai panchayat, to carry out the funeral procession. The Nadars refused to let the Dalit family take the funeral procession down the main road, forcing them to go through the rice fields instead. According to village resident, this is one of several such occurrences that have occurred in the area, a common tool of discrimination used by the OBCs.

The post can be viewed here:

Dalit family in #Thoothukudi allegedly denied use of road to crematorium.

Locals allege that the discriminatory act of blocking access to main road for funerals of #Dalits has been happening for decades in the #Mannarkaravai panchayat.#TamilNadu #Dalit #Casteism #DravidianModel pic.twitter.com/fh6jzWgPgo

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 13, 2023

T Shanmugam, a local activist and PhD scholar in Economics from MS University, Tirunelveli spoke to The News Minute and said that this kind of discrimination has been prevalent for many decades in the area. People are forced to use the paddy fields instead of the road that is common to four villages. Sharing a similar experience, Shanmugan told the News Minute that in the year 2018, when his father died, he had carried out a protest until he was able to take his father’s body through the main road. He had even threatened to leave his father’s body on the road itself if he was not allowedto go through. Shanmugam said that this was a rare incident when someone from the Pallar community was able to use the road for a funeral procession, but since his father was a former Union government employee, his family is given a certain amount of respect. He added by clarifying that despite the success in his case, nothing has changed for others.

According to the News Minute, Shanmugan further claimed that the Nadars’ discriminatory behavior is enabled by the Maravar community, which also belongs to the OBC caste. Maravars are members of Tamil Nadu’s politically strong Thevar caste cluster.

Pattern of ostracization of Dalits in Tamil Nadu
 

• Human faeces dumped in water tank meant for Dalits

In December 2022, an incident of dumping human faeces in water meant for Dalit was reported from Tamil Nadu, which could top the list of abhorrent and inhuman crimes against Dalits this country has ever seen. As per the media reports, this incident was reported from Pudukottai’sVellanur, Tamil Nadu wherein human excreta was found dumped in a water tank meant for the Dalit community in the village. This got discovered when a child fell ill and the doctor suggested that the drinking water must be the cause. That is when the villagers checked the water tank and found the faeces in the 10,000-litre water tank.

Moksha Gunavalagan, a political activist in the area had told NDTV that a huge quantity of faeces was found dumped inside the water tank, so much so the water had turned yellow. Without knowing that, for a week or so, the people were drinking this water. When children fell ill — that’s when the truth came out.

The generations of discrimination and injustice endured by the Dalits in the village were brought to light as a result of this tragedy. When District Collector Kavitha Ramu and District Police Chief Vandita Pandey visited the area, the Dalit villagers told them that they had not been permitted into the village temple for three generations. Even the village tea store has a special set of glasses for them.
 

• Dalit youth dies by suicide after ‘upper caste’ men violently attacked him

In December 2022, another caste-based crime from the state of Tamil Nadu came to light. In this case, a 19-year-old Dalit Christian boy died by suicide as he was allegedly scared by the threats to him and his family from Vanniyar caste men., after they had beaten him up. The incident took place in Surapattu, Villupuram on Puducherry-Sengam Road where the deceased boy, Raja Marianathan was assaulted by these men and also foisted a false case against him of bike theft. The Vanniyar and Pariah community live on either side of the road. The family of the deceased refused to accept Raja’s body and were protesting outside Mundiyampakkam government hospital demanding the arrest of the accused men as well as compensation for the family.

Raja, who belonged to the Pariah community, died by suicide on December 23. As per the residents, on December 21, Raja and his friends were out for dinner when Raja tried to help an elderly man from Vanniyar caste to fetch some water in front of a house. However, as per Raja’s father, when the man’s son-in-law, Moorthy, opened the door and saw Raja at his doorstep, he got furious and asked how a Pariah man dared to come to his house and knock on the door. Then, Moorthy and his two friends, Mohan and Suresh, under the influence of alcohol allegedly assaulted Raja. Raja was rescued by his friend, Sebastian and Vinoth who took him to the hospital where he had to get stitches on face and torso, reported The News Minute. Moorthy and others lodged a false case of bike theft on Raja to counter his complaint of assault by them. Another version said that Raja was beaten up for entering the street where dominant caste families live, reported The New Indian Express.

Post this heinous crime, Citizens for Justice and peace (CJP) wrote to DGP, Tamil Nadu and SP, Villupuram, raising concerns over this serious caste based crime. CJP, in its letter had urged that after due inquiry, the accused be arrested and that protection is provided to the family as per section 15A of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
 

• Over 200 Dalits Enter Village Temple in Tiruvannamalai Amid Protests From Dominant Castes

In January 2023, over 200 members of the Scheduled Caste groups defied a ‘ban’ enforced by the dominant castes by entering the Sri Muthaalamman temple in Thenmudiyanur village, Tiruvannamalai district. On January 30, after seven decades of being ostracized, they were escorted into the 200-year-old temple with the assistance of the local administration and heavily armed police.Hundreds of members belonging to the privileged communities held a protest in opposition.

Related:

TN: Over 200 Dalits Enter Village Temple in Tiruvannamalai Amid Protests From Dominant Castes

Review of 2022: A year of discrimination & violence experienced by India’s religious minorities

TN: Dalit youth dies by suicide after ‘upper caste’ men violently attacked him

Seeking agreed demands execution, Dalit farm workers’ rally lathicharged in Punjab

Adivasis of Burhanpur rejoice as all demands get fulfilled, verification of claims for the entire district

Dalit minor allegedly gang-raped multiple times in Karnataka; 4 booked

Gujarat: Four people detained for beating up Dalit youth in Vadodara

UP school teachers abuse Dalit students daily, no police action yet

The post Tamil Nadu: Dalit family in Thoothukudi allegedly denied use of road to crematorium appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The year is about to come to an end but it is caste atrocities that continue to fester in the country. Another incident from the state of Tamil Nadu has come to light of a caste-based crime. This time a 19-year-old Dalit Christian boy died by suicide allegedly scared by the threats to him and his family from Vanniyar caste men. The family had refused to accept Raja’s body and were protesting outside Mundiyampakkam government hospital demanding the arrest of the accused men as well as compensation for the family.

The incident took place in Surapattu, Villupuram on Puducherry-Sengam Road where the deceased boy, Raja Marianathan was assaulted by these men and also foisted a false case against him of bike theft. The Vanniyar and Pariah community live on either side of the road.

Raja, who belonged to the Pariah community, died by suicide on December 23. As per the resident, on December 21 as Raja and his friends were out for dinner, Raja tried to help an elderly man from Vanniyar caste to fetch some water in front of a house. However, as per Raja’s father, when the man’s son-in-law, Moorthy, opened the door and saw Raja at his doorstep, he got furious and asked how a Pariah man dared to come to his house and knock on the door. Then, Moorthy and his two friends, Mohan and Suresh, under the influence of alcohol allegedly assaulted Raja. Raja was rescued by his friend, Sebastian and Vinoth who took him to the hospital where he had to get stitches on face and torso, reported The News Minute. Moorthy and others lodged a false case of bike theft on Raja to counter his complaint of assault by them. Another version said that Raja was beaten up for entering the street where dominant caste families live, reported The New Indian Express.

“When Marianathan visited the police station with Raja on December 22 to explain that he and his friends were not involved in bike theft, police asked the father-son duo to enter into a ‘compromise’ with Vanniyars. However, they refused to do so and didn’t want to withdraw the case against Vanniyar men,” Kathir, a Dalit activist, told TNM. He also said that when the police questioned Raja’s friends about the bike theft case, they assaulted them as well. When members of Vanniyar caste tried to reach a compromise with Raja’s family and the latter refused, they were allegedly threatened by the Vanniyar men. The Vanniyar men told him that their community had 1,000 families in Surappattu while the Dalit colony had only 40 houses and threatened to set fire to the colony,” reads the FIR.

An FIR has been filed against the Vanniyar men under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294 (b) (singing or uttering obscene words or songs), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the IPC and we as sections 3(1)(r), which deals with intentional insult or intimidation with intent to humiliate and 3(1)(s), relating to abuse using caste name)  of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. However, the police seem to have aspersions about adding the sections of SC/ST Act since Dalit Christians are categorized as Backward classes in the state and not as Scheduled Castes. The reservations benefits are only accorded to Dalit Hindus and not converted Dalit Christians and Muslims. This seems to be the root cause of the confusion. In this case, Raja’s mother is a Hindu while his father is a Christian.

Activists in the area are, however, of the opinion that the accused men hurled casteist slurs at Raja hence, the SC/ST Act needs to be invoked.

Related:

TN: Human faeces dumped in water tank meant for Dalits

Dalit minor allegedly gang-raped multiple times in Karnataka; 4 booked

Gujarat: Four people detained for beating up Dalit youth in Vadodara

UP school teachers abuse Dalit students daily, no police action yet

The post TN: Dalit youth dies by suicide after ‘upper caste’ men violently attacked him appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This incident from Tamil Nadu could top the list of abhorrent and inhuman crimes against Dalits, this country has ever seen. A few days ago, an incident was reported from Pudukottai’s Vellanur, Tamil Nadu that human excreta was found dumped in a water tank meant for the Dalit community in the village. This got discovered when a child fell ill and the doctor suggested that the drinking water must be the cause. That is when the villagers checked the water tank and found the faeces in the 10,000-litre water tank.

“A huge quantity of faeces was found dumped inside the water tank. So much so the water had turned yellow. Without knowing that, for a week or so, the people were drinking this water. When children fell ill — that’s when the truth came out,” Moksha Gunavalagan, a political activist in the area told NDTV.

A special medical camp has been set up in the village to treat anyone who may fall sick.

A case has been filed under Section 277 (fouling water of public spring or reservoir) and 328 (causing means of any poison, etc with intent to commit offence) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. However, no person has been identified as accused yet since the villagers have not named anyone of any community and have asked the police to find out who the perpetrator is.

What brought to light after this incident was the generations of discrimination and injustice faced by the Dalits in the village. When the District Collector Kavitha Ramu and district police chief Vandita Pandey visited the village, the Dalit residents told them that for 3 generations they had never been allowed into the village temple. Even the tea shop in the village has a separate set of glasses for them. Accordingly, a case was also filed against the tea shop owner.

Ramu and Pandey even visited the temple and asked the Dalits to identify who was stopping them from entering the temple. Meanwhile a woman from the ‘upper castes’ declared that she was in a trance, possessed by the deity who did not want the ‘lower castes’ to enter the temple. The woman was also booked.

A young man, Sindhuja, told NDTV that for 3 generations they were not allowed to enter the temple. “We are not less in any way and want to be treated as such,” he said.

This is a specific offence under the SC/ST Act under section 3(1)(b) and (c):

‘(1) Whoever, not being a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe,–

(b) dumps excreta, sewage, carcasses or any other obnoxious substance in premises, or at the entrance of the premises, occupied by a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe;

(c) with intent to cause injury, insult or annoyance to any member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, dumps excreta, waste matter, carcasses or any other obnoxious substance in his neighbourhood;

As well as under section 3(1)(x):

(x) corrupts or fouls the water of any spring, reservoir or any other source ordinarily used by members of the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes so as to render it less fit for the purpose for which it is ordinarily used;

Related:

Dalit minor allegedly gang-raped multiple times in Karnataka; 4 booked

Gujarat: Four people detained for beating up Dalit youth in Vadodara

UP school teachers abuse Dalit students daily, no police action yet

The post TN: Human faeces dumped in water tank meant for Dalits appeared first on SabrangIndia.