The protesters voiced demands for rehabilitation of the families affected by these incidents, especially Somnath Suryavanshi’s family, and called for the dismissal of high-ranking officials allegedly involved in covering up the cases. This protest, which started in Parbhani on the evening of January 17, follows weeks of growing tension in Marathwada over caste-related issues, with the protests intensifying in recent weeks due to the escalating violence and the perceived injustice in both incidents.

Samata Sainik Dal (Parbhani) is organizing a long march from Parbhani to Mumbai.

The main demand of this march is that when will the family of martyr Somnath Suryavanshi die/be murdered in police custody and due to the delay in this case, when will justice be given to his family… pic.twitter.com/km0agJjO2T

— हेमंत भाऊ (@NetaClix) January 17, 2025

Scheduled long March in Jalna district and Parbhani to Mumbai

From January 21 to 25, 2025, a significant long march will take place in Jalna District, aiming to raise awareness about the brutal murders of Somnath Suryavanshi and Santosh Deshmukh. The march will begin at Watur Phata, Watur, and will conclude at Badnapur.

Notably, the protesters from Parbhani have organized a long march from Parbhani to Mumbai in response to the recent incident and the ongoing atrocities against Dalits and killing of Santosh and Somnath.

Violence and tensions after Dalit youth dies in custody, following Constitution replica vandalism

The tension in Parbhani boiled over after an incident involving the vandalism of a constitution replica on December 10, 2024. As per eyewitnesses, the incident was allegedly carried out by Sopan Pawar, a 45-year-old Maratha man. This act triggered protests from Dalit groups and Ambedkarite organizations, with the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) party playing a pivotal role in mobilizing the crowds.

The following day, a “Parbhani Bandh” (strike) was declared, which, while initially peaceful, later descended into chaos. Protesters clashed with the police, leading to multiple vehicles being torched and property being damaged. According to the police, they arrested 50 people involved in the unrest, among them Somnath Suryavanshi, a 35-year-old Dalit youth. Suryavanshi, who had been detained during the protests, later died in judicial custody on December 15 due to what was reported as “shock following multiple injuries” reported Frontline.

His death has sparked outrage, with many accusing the police of brutality. According to local sources, Suryavanshi’s mother, Vijaya, claimed that her son had been beaten by the police, leading to his death. Her claims were substantiated by a postmortem report, which confirmed external injuries. However, the police have denied allegations of abuse, stating that Suryavanshi’s death was due to natural causes.

Dalit groups have condemned the police’s treatment of protesters, especially the manner in which Dalit youth were targeted. Prakash Ambedkar, leader of the VBA, demanded an investigation into the police’s role, highlighting the ongoing issues of caste discrimination. He was quoted as saying, “The real battle for equality is still being fought, and we must ensure justice for every oppressed community.”

Dalit and political outrage over Police brutality and murder in Parbhani and Beed

Several political parties and social organizations are raising their voices in protest over the death of Somnath Suryavanshi in judicial custody and the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the Maratha Sarpanch in Beed. According to Dalit groups, the police’s crackdown on protesters in Parbhani was disproportionately harsh, with claims of excessive use of force against Dalit youth and women.

In response to the incidents, the Matang Ekta Andolan and Republican Party of India (RPI) staged protests in Pune, demanding an independent inquiry into the events. As per sources, the police have been accused of carrying out violent search operations, targeting individuals without any solid evidence of involvement in unlawful activities.

Further compounding the unrest was the murder of Deshmukh, which escalated tensions between the Maratha and OBC communities. According to reports, Vishnu Chate, the alleged kidnapper and murderer, belongs to the Vanjari OBC community, and the growing friction over reservation issues has deepened the divide between caste groups.

The tragic events in Parbhani and Beed have led to an outpouring of support for both families involved, with political leaders from across Maharashtra rallying behind the victims. Prakash Ambedkar, addressing the media, drew parallels between these incidents and the historical struggles against discrimination, notably the Koregaon Bhima battle, marking over 200 years of ongoing battles for equality.

Struggle for equality in Beed and Parbhani echoes historical caste struggles

Prakash Ambedkar, while commemorating the 207th anniversary of the Koregaon Bhima battle, linked the present-day struggles in Parbhani and Beed to the ongoing battle for equality in India. As per Ambedkar’s statement, despite the long history of caste discrimination, the incidents in Parbhani and Beed reveal that the struggle for social justice and equality is far from over.

Ambedkar cautioned the Maharashtra government about the sensitive handling of the Beed murder case, which has been cast in a Maratha versus Vanjari OBC context. He stressed the importance of avoiding further division and ensuring that justice prevails for all communities involved. Meanwhile, Chandrashekhar Azad of Bhim Army visited Parbhani to meet Suryavanshi’s family and vowed to continue the protests to expose the government’s failures in addressing the plight of Dalits and marginalized communities.

These events have thrown the spotlight on the persistent caste fault lines in Maharashtra, exacerbated by the government’s handling of these incidents. The continuing unrest calls for a deeper introspection into the state’s caste politics and its impact on the marginalized sections of society, reported Times of India.

Massive all-party march in Parbhani over Beed sarpanch’s murder

According to reports, a massive all-party march was organized in Parbhani, Maharashtra, demanding a thorough and unbiased investigation into the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district. The protest also targeted the state’s food and civil supplies minister, Dhananjay Munde, who stands accused of shielding Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind of the murder. Karad surrendered to the police just days prior, adding fuel to the fire of political and caste tensions.

The march, which saw a turnout of thousands, included elected representatives, political leaders, and Maratha community organizations. It marks the second major protest following Deshmukh’s murder. The previous protest on December 28, 2024, in Beed had also garnered massive support, with around 50,000 participants. The Parbhani march was attended by influential figures from both ruling and opposition parties, underlining the political ramifications of the crime.

As per the march organizers, the demands were clear: an impartial investigation, punishment for the politically powerful individuals behind the crime, and the immediate resignation of Dhananjay Munde. BJP MLA Suresh Dhas, speaking at the rally, argued that Munde was deeply involved in a multi-crore crop insurance scam in the region, which he claimed had far-reaching implications.

The murder of Santosh Deshmukh, a Maratha leader, has been exacerbated by the caste dynamics at play. Karad, the primary accused, hails from the Vanjari community, an OBC group, and this has sparked a war of words between Maratha and OBC factions in the region. As per the leaders present at the protest, the case is symptomatic of a larger political crisis within Maharashtra’s power structure.

Panel formed for Judicial probe into Beed Sarpanch’s murder and Parbhani protester’s custodial death

In response to mounting public outrage, the Maharashtra Government has appointed two judicial committees to probe significant incidents in Beed and Parbhani. A single-member panel, led by retired High Court Judge M.L. Tahaliyani, has been established to investigate the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district. The violence that led to Deshmukh’s murder sparked intense political and social unrest, prompting the state to initiate the judicial inquiry.

Additionally, the government has appointed retired Judge V.L. Achliya to investigate the custodial death of Dalit protester Somnath Suryavanshi in Parbhani. The investigation will assess the role of law enforcement, examine the handling of the protests, and determine if there were any lapses in maintaining public order.

As per report, both inquiries aim to hold accountable those responsible for the incidents and evaluate the preparedness of local authorities.

Related

Special Report: ‘They came like monkeys; they came like Nazis.’ Ambedkari Bastis in Parbhani face the traumas of police brutality

State-sanctioned brutality? Dalit communities targeted in Parbhani “combing operations”, women, children abused

No quality education without teaching equality, secularism, fraternity value: SC

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It’s been a year since Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into the back of the neck of George Floyd for nine minutes as he died gasping for breath, his last words, “I can’t breathe.”

The 46-year-old African American Man was killed after cops tried to restrain him in connection with an allegedly fake $20 bill. A video of Floyd’s killing went viral and sparked nationwide protests for weeks. On March 20, this year Derek Chauvin was convicted on three counts for the murder of George Floyd. In fact, a few days before the verdict, the City Council of Minneapolis also unanimously approved a settlement of $27 million dollars to Floyd’s family.

Racism still rampant

Since the cold-blooded killing of George Floyd, the United States has seen an unprecedented surge in voices demanding justice for victims of racism and an end to systemic racism itself that lies at the root of income inequality and access to education, healthcare, housing and other resources.

While segregation was outlawed decades ago, it is no coincidence that even today, most low-income neighbourhoods are home to predominantly non-white populations. Public schools in such neighbourhoods are understaffed and underfunded thereby perpetuating a cycle of poverty and misery.

People of colour who do make it out of these neighbourhoods and try to build a life are then targeted using false and often absurd complaints that are deeply rooted in the complainant’s own racist baggage. Black people have been accused of being prowlers and car thieves by their non-black neighbours! 

In fact, last year a video of a woman named Amy Cooper calling 911 while standing in Central Park and accusing Christian Cooper, a black man of threatening her went viral. Christian, a bird-watcher, had just requested Amy to leash her dog, but instead she called the police and told them that “an African-American man” was threatening her, showcasing how black people are unfairly targeted by those who think they can easily get away with making false accusations.

Even today, a disproportionately large number of black people are sent to prison for crimes where most white people get let off with a mild rap on the wrists. Pew Research quoted the 2018 statistics by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to say that there were 1,501 black prisoners for every 1,00,000 black adults! According to the Pew Research Center, “Black men are especially likely to be imprisoned. There were 2,272 inmates per 100,000 black men in 2018, compared with 1,018 inmates per 100,000 Hispanic men and 392 inmates per 100,000 white men.” What’s worse, “The rate was even higher among black men in certain age groups: Among those ages 35 to 39, for example, about one-in-twenty black men were in state or federal prison in 2018 (5,008 inmates for every 100,000 black men in this age group).” 

Say her name: Breonna Taylor!

But while Derek Chauvin was recently convicted for killing George Floyd, last year a grand jury refused to charge officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her own home! 26-year-old Taylor was an Emergency Medical Technician and was fast asleep in her own home on March 13, 2020 when officers of the Louisiana Metro Police Department barged into her home shortly after midnight. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fearing the men to be intruders, fired at them, and the policemen retaliated with more gunfire killing Taylor. Policemen fired at least 20 rounds, out of which 8 hit Breonna Taylor. But in yet another shocking twist, it was Walker who was arrested for attacking the police! The police claim they were executing a warrant for two men, one of whom was Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, who was wanted in connection with a drugs case and had used Taylor’s address to receive packages. Not only was this disputed by the Postal Department, both men were found to be in custody at the time of the police raid on Taylor and Walker’s home. A few months later, charges against Walked were dropped, but justice still eludes Breonna Taylor.

The murder of Daunte Wright

Then there is the shocking case of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old African-American man who was killed in a police shooting at a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota in April this year. He was initially stopped for an expired tag, but police tried to handcuff him when they discovered an outstanding warrant in his name. Shockingly, Kimberly Potter, the police officer who shot him claimed that she had intended to draw her taser when she drew out her gun instead and shot Wright! A bizarre video of the incident shows Potter yell, “Taser, taser, taser,” as she shoots Wright. While Potter and even the city’s police chief resigned, Potter was only charged with second-degree manslaughter instead of murder charges. Imran Ali, prosecutor and co-counsel in the case recently resigned citing “vitriol” and “partisan politics”. Ali was one of the two people who had charged Potter with second-degree manslaughter. The other was Washington County Attorney Pete Orput. Activists held protests outside Orput’s home demanding murder charges be filed.

Curious parallels with India

Several parallels can be drawn between what is happening in the US and India with respect to cases where police brutality becomes a weapon for committing a hate crime.

The custodial killing case of Khwaja Yunus is still fresh in memory. The young man was allegedly falsely implicated in the Ghatkopar blast case and then killed in custody. The police then allegedly made it look like he escaped from a prison transport vehicle!

Recently, a 17-year-old Mohammed Faisal Husain was also allegedly beaten to death in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao by policemen while he was in their custody at a police station. While the police initially claimed that he was picked up for violating a Corona curfew, and died of a heart attack, a post mortem revealed head injuries as cause of death.

SabrangIndia’s sister organization CJP has now launched a petition demanding justice for Faisal and reparations for his family. The petition may be signed here.

Related:

George Floyd murder: White ex-cop convicted
In the US, some cops take a knee, march with protesters in solidarity
In Memory of George Floyd
India’s dark history of custodial abuse
How India Makes its Mothers Run From Pillar to Post
Justice for Faisal: Sign CJP’s petition NOW!

The post George Floyd murder: One year on appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, has been convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during his arrest last May and killing him, reported BBC News.

A 12-member Jury deliberated on the case for less than 11 hours before holding Chauvin guilty and he may face a 40-year jail sentence. Three other former police officers present with Derek while Floyd’s arrest is to go on trial later this year. George’s murder had sparked worldwide Black Lives Matter protests against racism and excessive use of force by police.

George’s brother, Philonise, while speaking to CNN, described sitting in the courtroom and listening to the verdict as, “a moment I would never be able to re-live, I will always have inside of me.”

George Floyd had said, “I can’t breathe”, repeatedly when he was pinned down during the approximately nine-minute encounter with Derek Chauvin on May 25 last year, and the video of it was filmed by bystanders, including a teenage girl, whose footage went viral on social media. Witnesses to the incident had also pleaded with the police to stop and let go of George.

George’s lawyer Ben crump tweeted, “GUILTY! Painfully earned justice has finally arrived for George Floyd’s family. This verdict is a turning point in history and sends a clear message on the need for accountability of law enforcement. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America!”

GUILTY! Painfully earned justice has finally arrived for George Floyd’s family. This verdict is a turning point in history and sends a clear message on the need for accountability of law enforcement. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America!

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 20, 2021

According to the BBC, George bought a pack of cigarettes at a convenience store in South Minneapolis on the evening of May 25, 2020, and when a shop assistant believed he had used a counterfeit 20-dollar bill, he called the police after George refused to return the cigarette pack.

The four police officers handcuffed George and when he struggled against the force, the police officers wrestled him to the ground and pinned him under their weight. Chauvin pressed his knee into George’s back for over nine minutes while he kept begging that he could not breathe. He was motionless when the ambulance arrived and was pronounced dead after an hour.

Other media reports detailed how President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the first African American woman in her position, addressed the nation after the verdict was announced. The Hindu quoted Ms. Harris saying, “America has a long history of systemic racism… Black men are fathers, and brothers, and sons, and uncles, and grandfathers, and friends, and neighbours. Their lives must be valued in our education system, in our health-care system, in our housing system, in our economic system, in our criminal-justice system, in our nation.”

President Biden added, “It was a murder in the full light of day.. Let’s also be clear that such a verdict is also much too rare. For so many people, it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors. A brave young woman with a smartphone camera, a crowd who was traumatised… a murder that lasts [sic] almost ten minutes in broad daylight… officers standing up and testifying against a fellow officer instead of just closing ranks… for so many it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver… just basic accountability.”

Related:

In Memory of George Floyd
Indian feminists condemn George Floyd’s murder
Do all Lives Matter in India?

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Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested three persons and booked cases against  four more as investigations begin to probe the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Brijesh Singh. According to Amar Ujala, protestors blocked the Gorakhpur-Maharajganj road for one hour in protest against the incident, and dispersed only after assurances from the police. 

Brijesh Singh, 52, the BJP candidate for Narayanpur village panchayat chief, was murdered in Chief Minister Adityanath’s home district of Gorakhpur. According to a report in The Telegraph, Singh was shot dead on the Uttar Pradesh highway late on Friday night. Singh was returning home to Moglaha on his motorcycle after campaigning for the panchayat polls when he was shot in the head and chest stated media reports. His supporters, who the Telegraph stated were following about half a kilometre behind, took him to the BRD Medical College, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Brijesh, a former panchayat chief of Narayanpur, was standing for elections once again as the formerly reserved seat had been re-earmarked as a general seat this time. Singh was supposed to file his nomination papers on Saturday, the BJP Gorakhpur district chief Yudhishtir Singh told the media and hailed Singh as an “active party leader.” His murder is the latest of similar attacks on politicians and others affiliated with the Sangh parivar, in a state ruled by Adityanath, who is also a religious leader and often hailed by the right wing as one of the most influential BJP Cheif Ministers. 

 According to the news report, Brijesh’s supporters also sat on a dharna at the gate of the medical college, questioning the law-and-order situation in the state. One of them, Rajesh Singh, told the media that “the killers are so confident that they are committing murders in the chief minister’s home district,” adding that Brijesh was a powerful leader who had campaigned for party candidates in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, “Unfortunately, he wasn’t safe under our own party’s rule.” 

 According to media reports, Singh’s brother Bholanath Singh, had in his police complaint stated that a land dispute was the motive behind the murder. Police identified the accused as Sunil Srivastava, Pawan Srivastava, Vinay Srivastava and Ram Samuj Nishad, a  case was registered under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 147 (rioting). The Amar Ujala reported that  Brijesh’s brother Bholanath told the police that his brother Brijesh Singh had allegedly been threatened by the accused in the past as well. 

As reported by the Telegraph, “over a dozen Sangh parivar leaders have been murdered in the state during Adityanath’s four-year-old rule.” However, the police have denied any political angle and suggested land disputes or illicit love affairs as the motive in most cases.

Related

UP: Dalit youth brutally attacked, 3 men arrested
Nun harassment: Two Sangh Parivar members arrested, main accused still at large
UP: Inter-faith couple found dead in Bareilly

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The Bombay High Court has criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the State Special Investigation Team (SIT) for not completing their probe into the murders of communist leader, Govind Pansare and anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabholkar, reported LiveLaw.

A Division Bench of Justices JJ Shinde and Manish Pitale were apprised that the trial in journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder in Karnataka in 2017 with similar accused persons, has already begun, but the investigation in Maharashtra is still not complete, seeking for status reports.

The Bench remarked, “One day there has to be an end to this. The incidents happened in 2013 (Dabholkar’s murder) and 2015 (Pansare’s murder); we are in 2021. We are disturbed by the petitioner’s statement that the trial has already begun in Karnataka, but here the investigation is not even complete. The incident in Karnataka (Lankesh’s murder) is after this”, reported the legal portal LiveLaw.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by the families of Dabholkar and Pansare, and their lawyer also highlighted the murders of renowned epigraphist MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh. Professor MM Kalburgi was killed at his residence on August 30, 2015 while Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her home on September 5, 2017.

In 2019, the Bombay High Court had directed the Chief Secretary of the State to conduct meetings with the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), and Principal Secretary of finance along with CBI and SIT officers and decide what assistance should be provided to the investigating agencies in the probe. It further directed the state to provide ground-level assistance if the CBI proposes to carry out any major operation.

A Division Bench of Justice S C Dharmadhikari and Justice B P Colabawalla had said, “The government of Maharashtra must realise that when a crime of this nature was committed in the adjoining state, namely, in the state of Karnataka (murder of Gauri Lankesh), the functionaries and the officials in-charge of machinery of law and order in that state acted swiftly and without any intervention of the court.”

During the hearing on March 12, the Additional Solicitor General, Anil Singh, submitted that the CBI has been filing status reports on Narendra Dabholkar’s murder from time to time. LiveLaw quoted him stating, “This matter has come up suddenly, we will file a report.”

To this, Justice SS Shinde asked, “It has been specially assigned to us. What is progress?” Advocate Abhay Nevagi, appearing for the families of the deceased activists, reportedly submitted that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) found a link in all four cases and while the CBI had filed three charge sheets against the four accused in the Dabholkar case, the SIT has been dragging its feet in Pansare’s case.

According to a report in Scroll.in, Justice Shinde said that this is a “sensitive case”, and the citizens of the country deserved to know when the investigating agencies would complete their inquiry for the trial to begin.

That matter will be heard on March 30 and the court directed the State and CBI to come with a ‘positive statement’.

Related:

Narendra Dabholkar and his immortal ideas
‘Do Not Expect Court Orders to Investigate Murders’: Bombay HC on Pansare and Dabholkar Murder Probe
Hindutva Terror: Story of the Common Link Between the Four Murders
India: Prominent human rights journalist Gauri Lankesh shot dead
HJS dubs Narendra Dabholkar ‘Urban Naxal’

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A 30-year-old woman died in Jharkhand on Monday adding to the list of women who had suffered fatally due to the practice of witch-hunting in the state. Her’s was the twelfth death this year that was labelled ‘witch death’ – death of a woman suspected to be a witch – in the state police records.

While such a death may seem appalling in the urban areas of India, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Navin Singh, in-charge of the case, said that ‘witch-deaths’ or even ‘witch-cases’ are a common occurrence in Jharkhand.

“We see a case of a witch-death and think it is a single-day event. In reality though, there may have been similar conflicts between the victim and the accused in the past,” said SDPO.

Accusations of someone being a witch are thrown around all the time which leads to such extreme cases.

“There is a great need for awareness in states like Jharkhand, Bihar. But the police cannot undertake such work,” he said.

Singh’s recommendation of raising awareness is also endorsed by local non-government organisations that work for the benefit of women.

One such organisation, the Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiative (AALI) offers legal advocacy especially to victims of ‘witch-hunting’ and is working towards strengthening clauses of the Prevention of Witch (DAAIN) Practices Act (2001.)

Under this Act, calling someone a ‘witch’ or harming a person who has been identified as a ‘witch’ is a non-bailable offence as per Indian law. A person may legally sue any individual who calls them a ‘witch’ even out of spite.

The law even recognises and penalises social acts like ‘jhadphook’ or ‘totka’ that allegedly cure the woman termed as a witch.

However, as per a document provided by the State police, the Act has failed to provide preventative, curative or even punitive measures for these women.

The document may be viewed here:

Moreover, according to Reshma, AALI’s State co-ordinator, few people either know or care about this law.

“Locals here understand that killing is bad but not when it comes to killing a witch. At times, villagers even taunt the victim’s family by saying that the murder would only amount to a three-year jail term,” she said.

Any individual convicted of murder in India shall be penalised by life imprisonment.

Reshma described the practice of naming a woman a ‘witch’ as a means to control the female gender or as a means of getting revenge. She gave the example of four women who were killed a few years ago for conducting their own religious rituals.

Moreover, victims of such atrocities are almost always over the age of 40 years or widowed or have been left by their patriarch. This, further raises concerns regarding the killing on Monday.

AALI which deals with 13 districts of the State directly receives one or two cases monthly. However, all other cases come to them via news coverage. Reshma said that the problem with this process was that almost every case that came to them was on the extreme end wherein the woman has either died or is in critical condition.

“No one really likes to talk about the fact that they are termed as witches. So, we rarely ever receive a case directly,” said Reshma.

Yet such incidents keep occurring throughout the State especially during the rainy season.

Most women termed as witches are attacked because of a local superstition that witches cause diseases. As a result, the number of witch-deaths increase considerably during the monsoon season when people are more susceptible to cold and fever.

Even police reports show that in 2019 four cases were reported in July, two cases in August and six cases in September. Barring November and December that recorded four and five deaths respectively, hardly any deaths were recorded in the rest of the year.

However, unlike the State police which only records ‘witch-deaths’, AALI records all witch-related cases including deaths. As per their data, nearly 63 cases have been recorded in the last eight months.

In 2019, AALI published a report ‘Where There is No Road to Justice- “Witch” Hunting Related Violence against Women and The Law in Jharkhand’ the organisation found that cases of witch-hunting have increased among Scheduled Caste communities.

The report may be read here: 

“Five years ago, I would have told you these cases were more prevalent in tribal areas. However, in the last three years such cases have increased in the SC community,” said Reshma.

Currently, a large number of such incidents are seen in the Singhbum area and among tribes like the Munda tribe. Most families leave the village after such an incident occurs.

Another observation made in the last three years was the treatment towards the victim’s family by the villagers.

Although a gender-specific crime on the surface, even the husbands of the women branded as ‘witches’ were killed in attacks.

“Children of such women are called “witch’s children.” You can imagine the trauma faced by the child in such a situation,” she said.

The children’s condition was no better earlier to this either. Last year, five women were killed on suspicion of being witches. One of the woman’s sons who was 16 years old at the time was forced by the villagers to beat his mother.

“The child cannot go against a crowd and has to follow the crowd’s orders. There is no government scheme for such children. They can avail CWC schemes at best,” said Reshma.

Another social cruelty faced by these women is social exile. Women named as ‘witches’ by the villagers are forced to leave the villages and live near the riverbank in a hut where no one will approach them.

Reinforcing what the police had said regarding awareness, Reshma stressed that social awareness contributes more towards addressing such social issues rather than increasing the State literacy.

“We see educated people as well who put a kaala teeka [black mark] on their child to ward off the evil eye. Education does not directly counter superstitions like these. It is definitely important for society’s betterment but awareness is key,” she said.

AALI’s workers conduct community meetings where they raise awareness about witch-hunting and trafficking. Reshma also suggests that such issues should be included in the school syllabus because such social practices serve as the core issues of Jharkhand.

“A child may be going to school but at the end of the day if the family believes in the idea of witches that is what the child will learn. These issues need to be addressed in a classroom environment by including it in their syllabus,” she said.

Related:

Odisha villagers burn couple after accusing them of practicing ‘black magic’
Woman, daughters attacked with sticks and axes on suspicion of practicing witchcraft

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Even as the lockdown is in place throughout the country, a young couple in their twenties was reportedly brutally hacked to death on the Vanthli-Keshod highway in Junagadh district on Wednesday evening in a case of caste-based murder, The Times of India reported.

Four months ago, Sanjay Ramsingh Ram and Dhara, both of them residents of Darsali village of Mangrol Taluka, had gotten married against the wishes of their families were allegedly murdered by hired assailants by the woman’s family.  

The incident took place on Wednesday evening when the couple had gone to the town of Keshod to renew Sanjay’s driving license. Sanjay’s sister had accompanied the couple too. While they were returning to Rajkot, where they lived after marriage, they were attacked by an assailant who came from behind on another bike and hit Sanjay with an axe. After the assailant brutally attacked Sanjay, he turned to attack his wife, Dhara. The couple died at the spot due to the loss of blood.

While Sanjay’s sister escaped with minor bruises but before she could call for help or make sense of what had transpired, the assailant had taken off on the bike. She was said to be helping the police with anything she remembered about the incident. Speaking with TOI, the Junagadh Superintendent of Police, Saurabh Singh, said, “We strongly suspect it to be a case of honour killing as the couple had an inter-caste marriage, which led to bitter animosity brewing among the woman’s family members. We suspect them of having executed this killing. We have some clues and are following them.”

Last month, in another suspected case of caste-based killing, a man was allegedly murdered by his wife’s father in Tamil Nadu. The marriage had taken place six months before the lockdown and while both, the man and woman belonged to the Most Backward Caste (MBC), the man belonged to the Oddar caste that was lowest among the group, Feminism in India had reported.

The woman’s family then got the marriage nullified with the help of the local panchayat and the boy’s family sent him away to the city to work for a living. However, when he returned to the village during the lockdown, the woman’s father, along with a relative, attacked him and killed him. The woman’s father and relative later surrendered themselves to the police.

Data and laws on caste-based killings

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2017 crime in India report which was published after the delay of a year, left out data on such killings citing data on it being “vague” and “unreliable”. However, data showed that such killings grew by 796 percent from 2014 to 2015, with 28 murders being reported in 2014 to 251 in 2015. 21 out these cases in 2015 were reported from Gujarat.

Currently, there is no separate law to punish the perpetrators of such murders. However, according to a research study, ‘Study on Honor Killing as a Crime in India – Cause and Solutions’ by Seied Beniamin Hosseini and C Basavaraju, honor killings are cases of homicide and murder which are grave crimes under the IPC Sections 299, 300 and 301. They also violate Articles 14, 15 (1) and (3), 17, 18, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

Under international provisions, India has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW 1979), which ensure that informal decision making bodies functioning on customary laws, like Khap Panchayats are refrained from enforcing their diktats on the rights of individuals.

Last year, the Rajasthan Assembly had passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill, 2019 against ‘honour killing’ with punishment ranging from life imprisonment and death penalty.

However, most of all caste-based killings which are extra-judicial punishments carried out by family members in most cases, cannot be eradicated through law alone. For this, individuals need to be sensitized against the crime, apart from public education on the issue. The researchers also state that discriminatory provisions relating to justifications, excuses or defenses on grounds of honour or passion must be removed in India, apart from authorities working with victims to ensure the safety of their physical and mental health.

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Image Courtesy: TOI

Chaos erupted at the BJP headquarters at Harmu on Thursday as the party inducted former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader ShashiBhushan Mehta into its fold.

Mehta is one of the main accused in the Suchitra Mishra murder case and is currently out on bail. He was the director of Oxford Public School at Pragati Path, Ranchi, while Mishra worked there as a warden. SuchitraMahajan’sbattered body was found by a roadside near Gandhi Ashram in Dhurwa in May 2012.

On Thursday afternoon, before Mehta’s induction, Mishra’s sons – Abhishek and Ashutosh, their maternal aunt Lalita and a few other relatives reached the venue with placards demanding justice. They also submitted a memorandum against Mehta’s induction to senior BJP leaders. This allegedly prompted party members to attack the family.

During the scuffle, Mehta’s supporters scrambled to the stage and assaulted Mishra’s son and threw him off stage. Abhishek Mishra said, “My aunt Lalita was also protesting with me. Just then some party workers came and snatched the placard out of her hands, tore it and beat her black and blue. All during this time, the BJP politicians and the police, both, just stood like mute bystanders.”

It is shocking to note that there were activists from women’s organizations at the protest with the family members. Yet, maleparty workers beat up a woman – all to save a murder accused.

One of Mishra’s sons threated to commit self-immolation if the party went ahead with Mehta’s nomination after this incident.

Interestingly, Mishra’s sons, Ashutosh and Abhishek are also members of the BJP. They say that including Mehta into the BJP will not only hurt people’s feelings but also shake their faith in the party.

A Chance for an Opposition Attack

The induction of murder accused KushwahaShashiBhushan Mehta has given a new tool to Opposition to attack BJP.

State Congress Committee spokesperson, AlokDubey said that by inducting murder accused in party fold, the BJP has shown its real character. 

Dubey said, “BJP, which calls itself as party with the difference has become the shelter home for sexual exploiter, coal mafias and anti-social elements.

Dubey said, “The family members of Mishra are traditionally BJP supporters. Suchitra’s two sons Abhishek and Ashutosh were staging a peaceful protest against the induction of Mehta in BJP fold.” The BJP supporters not only misbehaved with Mishra family members but even assaulted them and the whole episode took place in the presence of BJP State unit president Laxman Gilua. 

Echoing the views of Congress, JVM (P) leader Khalid Khalil said, “The attack on Suchitra Mishra’s family members, who were seeking justice shows the real character of BJP. The party talks of high moral principles stand exposed today.” Khalil further said, “BJP can go to any extent for grabbing power as on earlier occasion too, the party has inducted tainted persons.”

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Representation Image

On the morning of September 10, a grim incident came to light. On their way to the fields, locals of the Sultanpur district of UP found the severely maimed, unclothed body of a girl hanging from a Eucalyptus tree with a stick inserted in her private parts.Locals say, it reminded them of the Nirbhaya case. The girl was strung up using a black dupatta.

Locals who discovered the girl’s body at around 6.30 AM, immediately alerted the police. On arriving, the police lowered her body from the tree, removed the stick and draped her with a cloth. On primary investigation, the police found some alcohol bottles and glasses around the area.

But in a possible display of wilful negligence, the police appeared to be causing unnecessary delays in the investigation citing the fact that the victim has not been identified as a stumbling block. Senior Inspector Satish Singh of KotwaliDehat police station said, “We are still in the process of identifying the victim while the alcohol bottles and glasses at the scene had been sent to the forensic lab.” He also mentioned that the police had not made any advancement in identifying suspects. This is what is the most shocking aspect of the investigation. Why should lack of information about the identity of the victim prevent the police from making any headway in determining the identity of the perpetrators?

Police Delayed Post-mortem?

Locals alleged that the police waited for 72 hours to conduct a post-mortem of the victim. In such grave medico-legal cases, it is imperative that the post-mortem be carried out within 24 hours of the incident for the risk of losing evidence. The post-mortem guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (GOI) state that the likelihood of finding evidence after 72 hours is greatly reduced. The doctors at the civil hospital at Sultanpur who conducted the post-mortem confirmed that the delay in did in fact lead to loss of crucial evidence.

Today, after 15 days of the heinous crime taking place, the police are still tight-lipped about the incident. SP Himanshu Kumar who is the primary investigating officer in the case said, “The death of the victim occurred due to strangulation. There is no other crime.”

However, the post-mortem report by AIIMS clearly states that the victim had multiple lacerations all over her body, with lacerations present on her eyes, nose, cheeks and rectum. The report also stated that the victim suffered from a contusion on her uterine surface indicating possible sexual assault. How then can the investigating officer claim there was no other crime?

Possible Cover-up?

Until the arrival of the police, villagers had recorded the grievous image on their mobile phones. However, according to a reporter present at the scene, the police asked the locals to delete the videos and images, fearing that if they spread it would cause an uproar among the public due to the brutal nature of the crime.

Sources deem the girl to not be a local since no one has come to claim her body.

With or without the Police

While the police are still obstinate about first determining the identity of the victim before determining the identity and modus operandi of the perpetrators, women’s groups and activist organizations have taken up the challenge of bringing the crime to light.

RooprekhaVerma, senior activist and ex-Vice Chancellor, Lucknow University, vehemently condemned the crime. She said, “It appears there is a concerted effort by the police to hush up the crime. This is evident from the manner in which the post-mortem was delayed.” She also gave other examples of police apathy saying, “When we representatives of five women’s organizations went to meet the Director General Police (DGP), we were told that he was busy and would remain unavailable. When we insisted on meeting any other senior member of the Crime Branch, we were directed to the public grievance cell instead! It is shocking even in case of such a heinous crime, no senior official is either willing or able to answer critical questions.”

The U.P. State Commission for Women (UPSCW) has taken cognisance of the matter and will raise it with the District Magistrate (DM) and the Superintendent of Police (SP).

Conclusion

Many rapes, especially of minors, either remain unsolved or are hushed up in rural areas often due to caste and class equations between the victims and perpetrators. What is notable in this case is not just how it is similar to the Nirbhaya case in terms of brutality, but also the Badaun rape case for the manner in which the body was disposed of.

It remains to be seen if pressure from activist groups and women’s organizations will yield any results or if this case too will die a silent death much like a similar case that locals allege took place in the same field just six months ago.

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Right To Information (RTI) activist, Nanjibhai Sondarva (35) was allegedly clubbed to death by six persons in March, 2018.

His only crime being that he had filed an RTI application demanding transparency about funds spent on the construction of a road in his village. Just an year before his murder, his family was allegedly assaulted by the village sarpanch who was said to be furious at Nanjibhai for using RTI to expose financial irregularities in the developmental works undertaken in the village.

National Commission for Human Rights (NHRC) has recently registered a complaint filed by Venkatesh Nayak, RTI research scholar and coordinator of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) pressing for a thorough inquiry into the murder of Rajesh Sondharva
Nayak noted, “Although Rajesh was not an RTI activist himself, this is the 14th instance of murder in Gujarat with an RTI connection. Since October 2005, media reports have linked at least 13 murders to citizens’ RTI interventions aimed at exposing corruption and wrong doing in the administration- the second highest after Maharashtra (17 alleged murders, so far). The country-wide tally now stands at 83 reported cases of alleged murder and at least 165 cases of assault, 180 cases of harassment or threats- all targeting RTI users and activists. At least six cases of death by suicide have also been linked to RTI-activism of the victims.” CHRI maintains The Hall of Shame where they map and document instances of attacks on RTI users.

As Nanjibhai’s case was admitted in the trial court, the local police didn’t do enough to monitor it. This included an absence of reporting on the violation of bail conditions by the accused. Rajesh was trying to highlight the violation of bail conditions by the accused.

In the note that Nayak shared with human rights groups, he expressed concern if the Whistleblowers Act ever see the light if the day.

Parliament enacted the Whistleblowers Protection Act (WBP Act) more than five years ago, in February 2014. The Act has not seen the light of day. Instead the Government pushed through the 16th Lok Sabha, a series of retrograde amendments that would have effectively discouraged any potential whistleblower from exposing corruption and wrong doing. The proposed amendments barred inquiry into complaints if they were covered by any of the exemptions listed in Section 8(1) of The Right to Information Act, 2005 – imported lock stock and barrel into the WBP Act.

The Bill has lapsed with the constitution of the 17th Lok Sabha. 

The note highlighted that the Rajkot police has refused to publicise a copy of the FIR relating to the alleged murder of Rajesh Sondharva. Uploading FIRs on the Police’s websites is a mandatory requirement as per the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the matter of Youth Bar Association of India vs Union of India & Ors.,[Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 68 of 2016, order dated 07 September, 2016].

The Rajkot Police has refused to put a copy of this FIR on the website claiming that it is a sensitive matter. In the Youth Bar Asson. case the Hon’ble Supreme Court made an exception to the rule of proactive disclosure only for FIRs relating to sexual offences, offences under POCSO Act or those relating to terrorism or insurgency. The murder case of Rajesh Sondharva does not fit into any of these categories.
 

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