This year, 2025, marked the 77th anniversary of the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Gandhiji, who was murdered on January 30, 1948, precisely at 5.17 pm. In keeping with the national tradition, this platform, HBKL has endeavoured to involve citizens, peoples’ movements and political parties across the spectrum, to mark this day, as a day of national introspection. The aim is to recall the Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi in the context of his values and teachings, even as we recall all the martyrs of our freedom movement.

Towards this end, the platform had, with local support, put up six hoardings in Nagpur city, where Hum Bharat Ke Log (Nagpur) and Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (Nagpur) were actively involved in the initiative. The billboards, based on a creative effort of a Keralite artist, were put up in six locations across Nagpur.

The locations included – Variety Square FTF Lokmat, Gandhi Statue CA Road, Trimurti Nagar Square, Laxman Nagar Square, Akashwani Square & Bhole Petrol Pump. The billboards were put up in the late evening of January 29. One of the locations included the constituency of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadvanis (BJP).

According to Prajwala Tatte (HBKL, Nagpur), who was coordinating this brave effort, “The company that we had given the contract to, began to call us that they would have to remove the hoardings, as they ‘portrayed violence’. Clearly, the advertising company was being threatened & and pressured by the government, though he was not willing to say this on record. He also said that you could maybe put up hoardings of Gandhiji’s funeral procession. Well, I told him that’s not for him to decide. The billboards were taken down between 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm yesterday, that is January 29.”

In a statement issued on January 31, the HBKL platform has stated that, under the present regime at the centre, the entire country has witnessed the video of Puja Shakun Pandey (Hindu Mahasabha, National Secretary), shooting at an effigy of Gandhiji, to mark the death anniversary of Gandhiji, as Shaurya Divas, in Aligarh. No visible action has been taken against her for promoting hate and violence – and the fact that she was eulogising the murder of the Father of our Nation.

At a time when “temples are being made in honour of Nathuram Godse, the murderer of our Bapu, the Father of our Nation,” the removal of billboards visually portraying Bapu’s death were pulled down, that too in a town that has the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The organisation has called for a national debate on the murder of Mahatma Gandhi and re-iterated their commitment to Mahatma Gandhi;s thoughts and moral values.

The statement has been issued by Dr. G. G. Parikh, Tushar Gandhi, Feroze Mithiborwala, Guddi S L, Sharad Kadam, Dhananjay Shinde, Santosh Ambekar, Ali Bhojani, Siddesh Kadam, Vanita Tondwalkar, Yashodhan Paranjpe and Archana Tajane.

Related:

Courts and the Gandhi murder case: What happened on January 30 and who was behind it?

Remember when RSS-Jan Sangh leaders (clandestinely) apologised for opposing Emergency, called Gandhi murderer “patriot”

Real History: Gandhi’s Murder, Godse & the RSS

The post Nagpur: Billboards portraying Gandhi Bapu’s murder pulled down appeared first on SabrangIndia.

From information available, the BJP that is dominant partner in the ruling alliance in the state, could not win a single post of chairperson and managed to secure only three seats of deputy chairperson in the elections, results of which were declared on October 16, the same day of voting.

Nagpur district is the home turf of the BJP’s current chief of Maharashtra unit Chandrashekhar Bawankule, State Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. Nagpur also houses the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the BJP that is currently in power in the state and at the Centre.

The Congress won nine out of 13 posts of chairperson and eight out of 13 posts of deputy chairperson in the district. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured three posts of chairperson, while the Shiv Sena managed to win one such post, the district officials said.

The Congress won the chairperson’s post in Saoner, Kalmeshwar, Parseoni, Mouda, Kamptee, Umred, Bhivapur, Kuhi, and Nagpur Rural. The NCP won the post in Katol, Narkhed and Hingna, and the Shiv Sena won the Ramtek chairperson’s post, they said.

The Ramtek seat was bagged the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde named ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’, sources said.As per official information, the BJP could not win even a single post of chairperson and managed to secure only three seats of deputy chairperson in the elections.

Talking to PTI, former minister and Congress rural unit chief Rajendra Mulak said, “The Panchayat Samiti results have demoralised the BJP cadre, as the party faced a defeat on the home ground of the RSS and senior leaders Nitin Gadkari, Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrashekar Bawankule.” “Winning and losing keeps happening, but the way they have lost shows that the BJP cadre has no grip in the district,” the Congress leader said.

The Congress party, which also holds the sway in Zilla Parishad (ZP), dominated the results of the elections of Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons of Panchayat Samitis (PS) declared on October 15. The party won nine out of 13 posts of PS chiefs, and eight out of 13 posts of deputies. Congress had a clean sweep, winning both the seats of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson in seven PS. Its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had a clean sweep in two PS, and won the seat of Chairperson at one more place. Balasahebanchi Sena (led by Eknath Shinde) won the seat of PS Chairperson in Ramtek. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could not win a single seat of PS Chairperson, but it managed to win three seats of Deputy Chairperson. The PS where Congress won both the posts are as follows: Saoner — Aruna Shinde (Chairperson) and Rahul Tiwari (Deputy Chairperson); Kalmeshwar — Prabhakar Bhosle and Shravan Bhingare; Parseoni — Mangala Nimbone and Karuna Bhovate; Kamptee — Disha Chankapure and Dilip Vanjari; Umred — Geetanjali Nagbhidkar and Suresh Lende; Bhiwapur — Madhuri Deshmukh and Rahul Meshram; Nagpur (Rural) — Rupali Manohar and Avinash Pardhi.

Besides, its candidates Vandana Motghare won the post of PS Chairperson in Kuhi, and Swapnil Shravankar in Mouda. NCP secured both the posts of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson in Narkhed PS with its candidates Mahendra Gajbe and Mayatai Modhoriya winning the elections. In Hingna PS, NCP candidates Sushama Kawale and Umeshsingh Rajput bagged the posts respectively. In Hingna, NCP leader Rameshchandra Bang has kept his influence intact. In Katol PS, NCP’s Ajay alias Sanjay Dangore won the post of Chairperson while Congress’ Nishikant Nagmote won that of Deputy Chairperson.

Overall, the ruling Congress-NCP combine won 12 posts of PS chief, and 10 posts of Deputy Chairperson. In Ramtek PS, Sanjay Neware of Balasahebanchi Sena (Shinde group) won the post of Chairperson and BJP’s Narendra Bandhate won that of Deputy Chairperson. Both polled five votes each. Whereas, their rivals Congress-Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) candidates Ravindra Kumre and Asmita Biranwar polled four votes each. Congress’ PS member Pinky Rahate remained absent. Had she been present, Congress-GGP candidates would have polled five votes each and the winner would have been decided through draw of lots. BJP won three posts of Deputy Chairpersons namely Narendra Bandhate (Ramtek PS), Khemraj Chafle (Mouda PS), and Istari Talekar (Kuhi). After the declaration of election results, Congress celebrated at the official bungalow of ZP President. Sunil Kedar, former minister; Rajendra Mulak, District President (Rural) of Congress; Rashmi Barve, ZP

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In yet another example of how low the State can stoop, when it comes to respecting the human rights of prisoners, particularly ailing and aged political dissenters, Nagpur Jail authorities have been denying Prof GN Saibaba a plastic water bottle for three weeks! The former Delhi University professor, who is ninety per cent physically disabled and wheelchair-bound, is unable to lift the small pot kept in his cell or even a glass bottle, and has reportedly been unable to hydrate himself adequately amidst soaring temperatures due to this.

Advocate Aakash Sarode told The Hindu, “I had taken permission from the jail authorities to get him a plastic bottle and only then I had got the bottle. No reason was given to me for refusing the bottle. Sai cannot carry a glass bottle because it is heavy and he has severe pain in shoulders and metal bottles are not allowed inside prison.”

But jail authorities reportedly refused the bottle claiming it was a jar. The Hindu quoted an anonymous source from the Superintendent Anupkumar Kumre’s offices as saying, “We had given permission for a plain, transparent plastic bottle for Saibaba only on humanitarian grounds because he is handicapped. But what his lawyer got was a jar. Jars are not accepted in jail. If they send a simple plastic water bottle, we will take it.”

Brief background of the case

The Sessions Court at Gadchiroli on May 7, 2017 has sentenced Prof. Saibaba to life imprisonment under the Unlawful Prevention (Activities) Act (UAPA), for alleged links with banned organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist). He had appealed against the Judgment of the Sessions Court before the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court, but his appeal has been pending for the last five years.

Dr. Saibaba, who has been a long-time defender of the rights of India’s minorities, especially Dalits, Adivasis and forest dwelling communities, against vested corporate interests, was first arrested in in May 2014, and eventually sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2017, for “waging war against the state”. As an activist and rights defender, Dr. Saibaba has campaigned against a push to end reservations for lower castes, as well as against “encounter killings” of innocent people in Andhra Pradesh. He launched the Forum Against War on People, in response to the Indian government’s Operation Green Hunt in India’s tribal belt, which allegedly cracked down on Adivasis in the region. He organised a national campaign against the operation that reportedly led to investors pulling out. In July 2015, he told The Hindu that the authorities felt “the best way to stop me was to throw me in jail.”

Health problems

Prof. Saibaba is reportedly suffering from pancreatitis, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, chronic back pain, immobility and sleeplessness. It is also reported that Prof. Saibaba’s left hand is on the verge of failure and there is acute pain spreading in both his hands.

Hottest summer gets hotter inside the cell

As the temperatures in Nagpur have risen up to 45 degrees Celsius, and in the ‘anda cell’ it gets very hot, Saibaba had been requesting the Nagpur Central Jail authorities to allow plastic bottles for the last three weeks.

As reported by The Hindu, Saibaba’s wife, Vasantha Kumari, said, “There is a small pot kept in the cell and Sai keeps requesting his helper, who is also a convict, to give him water. But at night when he feels thirsty, he can’t wake his inmate and bother him for water. He has started getting unconscious because of the heat and lack of hydration inside the anda cell.”

According to the protocol, when any item is received for the prisoner, it has to get approved by a two-star jailor. After his approval, the item needs to be seen by the senior jailor and then it gets approved. However, as per Mr. Saroda, “Without seeing the bottle, the jailor refused to accept it,” as quoted by The Hindu.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

It would be useful for the authorities who are responsible for Prof. Saibaba’s health in custody to be informed of India’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). These are:

Article 4(d): – “To refrain from engaging in any act or practice that is inconsistent with the present Convention and to ensure that public authorities and institutions act in conformity with the present Convention.”

Article 15(1): – “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his or her free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.”

Article 15(2) places an obligation on the State to protect persons with disabilities from cruel degrading treatment and punishment.

Article 15(2): – “States Parties shall take all effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent persons with disabilities, on an equal basis with others, from being subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The norm of substantive equality, well established through constitutional jurisprudence in India, speaks of the principle of equality that necessarily includes special treatment for persons who are vulnerable. The denial of special provisions, appropriate assistance and specialised health care access to a person with disabilities in custody, who uses a wheelchair and has special health care needs arising from chronic illness, comes firmly within the meaning of degrading, inhuman and cruel treatment in derogation of the state’s obligation under the UNCRPD.

Related:

UN rights experts call for G. N. Saibaba’s release
As Prof Saibaba’s health deteriorates, Vasantha wants him to be transferred to a facility in Hyderabad
Torpedoing Justice: How the State uses Malicious Prosecution against Human Rights Defenders

The post Now, jail authorities deny GN Saibaba plastic water bottle! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench) has directed the Maharashtra Government to provide 10,000 vials of Remdesivir, an antiviral drug used to treat Covid patients to hospitals in Nagpur, by 8 P.M, on April 19, reported LiveLaw.

The Division Bench of Justices SM Modak and SB Shukre were hearing a suo motu PIL initiated last year to take stock of the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra. It noted that, “There has been a disparity in the distribution of Remdesivir amongst various districts in and around Nagpur, and the drugs aren’t released in proportion to the requirement, but perhaps by considering factors which may not be relevant to the whole issue.”

The Bench has directed the Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, to identify areas where law and order problems could arise due to non-availability of drugs like, outside hospitals or supply centres for oxygen, and provide protection accordingly.

As per a LiveLaw report, the Bench ordered the State and the Nagpur Municipal Commissioner (NMC) to immediately grant necessary permissions to private hospitals, which are interested in setting up oxygen generation units. On April 13, while hearing the matter, the High Court had recorded in its order that the “State Government has, in principle, accepted the proposal regarding setting up of an oxygen plant / factory at Nagpur. It is stated that the Government is considering setting up of such plants also at some other places in the State of Maharashtra, and for that purpose, the Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra has convened an official meeting on 15/04/2021.”

Advocate Tushar Mandelker (appearing for the intervenor Dr. Shishir Kolhe) alleged the ‘discriminatory practice’ by pointing out that on April 16, the Thane Collector provided 5,328 vials of Remdesivir, against 2,664 Covid beds in the district, while merely 3,326 vials were provided by Nagpur’s Collector on the same day despite 8,250 Covid designated beds.

The Bench then noted in its order, “The State Committee must ensure a fair and proportionate distribution of Remdesivir vials by following the principle that where the requirement is higher, the supply shall also be higher…Covid scenario has turned to its worst ever and the situation is of gravest order, so much so that there are no beds available, there are no lifesaving drugs available in sufficient quantity, that there isn’t sufficient supply of oxygen and there is also dearth of medical and paramedical staff”, reported LiveLaw.  

The court also reportedly observed that the statistic shows “some arbitrariness in the district-wise distribution of Remdesivir vials by the State and this is required to be stopped forthwith.”

The court observed that on April 17, only 500 vials of Remdesivir were allocated and on two other dates, nothing was given. It was informed that denial of vials to so many patients in 117 hospitals across Nagpur has severely affected the management of covid patients and in some cases, the possibility of death due to non-availability of drugs could not be ruled out.

The High Court Bench referred to Pt. Parmanand Katara vs Union of India & Ors (1989), to state that every doctor at the government hospital positioned is duty-bound to give medical assistance and no law can allow to avoid and delay the discharge of such duty cast upon the professional and that under Article 21, the state is obligated to preserve life.

Another intervenor in the PIL, Dr. Mukesh Chandak had informed the court on April 15 that patients were also facing difficulty in getting RTCPR tests. According to the applicant/intervener, the delay in getting the reports by the patients is because “the laboratories are not giving the reports unless the reports are uploaded on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) portal and sometimes the server is slow, which results in delay in uploading of the reports.”

The Bench of Justices Z.A Haq and Amit Borkar held that test results should be made available to patients immediately on WhatsApp and a positive report must be uploaded on the ICMR website within 24 hours.

It said, “We direct that after making the reports available to the patients on WhatsApp as also hard copy of it, the reports of the patients, who test positive shall be uploaded on the ICMR portal within 24 hours and the reports of the patients who test negative should be uploaded on the ICMR portal within 7 days and if these directions are not complied with by the laboratories, the authorities will be free to take appropriate action against the concerned laboratories, as deemed fit by the concerned authority.”

It was also brought to the court’s attention that several Covid-19 patients have been standing outside hospitals waiting to be admitted, causing their health to deteriorate. As per a LiveLaw report, the court has directed the Nagpur Collector and Nagpur Municipal Commissioner to set up temporary healthcare facilities. It said, “We had referred to setting up a day-care Centre in February. NMC commissioner suggested directions for setting up Covid Care Centres with ICMR guidelines.” In the meantime, the court suggested that pandals should be constructed to provide them drinking water facilities as a temporary relief measure.

The matter will be heard on April 21.

The order dated April 15 may be read here: 

Related:

It’s a shame govt did not plan things in advance: Allahabad HC
Delhi HC directs state gov’t to provide meals to daily wage workers
Covid-19: Telangana HC gives state gov’t 48 hrs to submit plan to control movement in public places
Delhi HC directs state gov’t to provide meals to daily wage workers

The post Provide 10,000 vials of Remdesivir to Nagpur: Bombay HC to Maha Gov’t appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In an unexpected twist for the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP), protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act are raging ahead full steam throughout the country. After the agitation started in Assam, it spread to Delhi, Lucknow, and Karnataka and is now taking place in various parts in Maharashtra.

After the peaceful and successful protest in Mumbai yesterday, that saw thousands thronging to the August KrantiMaidan to protest against the CAA, today on December 20, anti-CAA protestors came out in Kurla, Pune and Nagpur in large number.

Pune – Thousands of people gathered to protest against CAA and express solidarity with the students of JamiaMilliaIslamia University and Aligarh Muslim University in light of the police brutality against them. The people marched from BabajanChowk Camp to the Collector’s Office.

https://twitter.com/htTweets/status/1207983028804259840

#Maharashtra | People protest against #CitizenshipAct and #NationalRegisterofCitizens, in Pune. (ANI)

Track LIVE updates here: https://t.co/wdUr1OBB71 #CAAProtests #CAA_NRC_Protests pic.twitter.com/ywzbNlEb9B

— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/lionic/status/1207972121395249154

#CAAProtests Pune against CAA NRC 20th Dec pic.twitter.com/5ZCPTga6Sj

— Abbas Gadhia (@lionic) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/muftiwahidsdy/status/1207996523507642368

Thousands of people peacefully protest against the #CitizenshipAmmendmentAct in Pune. Thanks @CPPuneCity @PuneCityPolice @PuneCityTraffic for their co-operation. #AbuHadi @muftiwahidsdy #CAAProtests #IndiaAgainstCAA #PuneAgainstCAA #PuneRejectCAA #Puneprotest #ThanksPunePolice pic.twitter.com/bkDmML1zda

— Mufti Wahiduzzaman Siddequey (@muftiwahidsdy) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/wpimahrashtra/status/1208026720646746114

#CAA_NRC_Protests
Pimpri Chinchwad Pune
Maharashtra Protests against #CAA_NRC_Protests pic.twitter.com/9aEFLIlWm2

— Welfare Party of India Maharashtra ویلفیئر پارٹی (@wpimahrashtra) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/kaef613229/status/1208016726186610689

@Shehla_Rashid @pepper_smoker @SabinaBasha
Pune Protest
Date 20 Dec 2019
MG Road pic.twitter.com/LhuLWt1GwD

— Asad Ahmed (@kaef613229) December 20, 2019

Nagpur, Samvidhan Square: Over 1 lakh people gathered at the Samvidhan Square in agitation against the CAA. The peaceful protest was carried out under the leadership of Manoj Bansod of the Bhim Panther and Bhim Sarkar Group.

https://twitter.com/likiweaks20/status/1208012492179304448

Around 1 lakh people participated in a peaceful protest rally against #CitizenshipAmendmentAct in Nagpur. #CAAProtests #CAA_NRC #IndiaAgainstCAAhttps://t.co/8Chv6u7WyN pic.twitter.com/QGRW4faMVb

— Healthy India (@likiweaks20) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/THMumbai/status/1207990888271450114

Around 1 lakh people participated in a peaceful protest rally against #CitizenshipAmendmentAct in Nagpur. Traffic and daily life was crippled for several hours due to the protest march. Image shows march crossing Ramzula at central avenue area in Nagpur. Photo: S Sudarshan pic.twitter.com/mf5issRV5F

— The Hindu-Mumbai (@THMumbai) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/vaseems99/status/1207989734472945665

Nagpur Against NRC and inequality#IndiaAgainstCAA #Nagpur #PeacefulProtests #CAAProtests pic.twitter.com/84zCsjQVhA

— vaseem sheikh (@vaseems99) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/htTweets/status/1207984769411104769

#Maharashtra | Protest underway in Nagpur against #CitizenshipAct. (ANI)

Track LIVE updates here: https://t.co/wdUr1OBB71 #CAAProtests pic.twitter.com/Ux5dgsYKEJ

— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/ShakilS26963172/status/1208025550117199874

This is from NAGPUR, Maharashtra.

Around 1 Lakh (100K) people were on the street to protest #CAA_NRC in Nagpur. #CAA_NRC_Protests #IndiaAgainstCAA_NRC pic.twitter.com/d7dJThMMQE #CAA_NRC_नहीं_चलेगा @asadowaisi @ajitanjum @BBCHindi @narendramodi

— Shakil Shah (@ShakilS26963172) December 20, 2019

Kurla: Hundreds of protestors joined a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Mumbai’s Kurla (West).

https://twitter.com/top_gun55/status/1207997392873652224

Massive protest at Mumbai’s Kurla over #CitizenshipAmendmentAct. #CAA_NRC_Protests#CAA2019 #CAAProtests pic.twitter.com/CSL8v1K6A9

— Jaishree Misra (@top_gun55) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/TanveerAnas/status/1207993517496295424

Protest march at Kurla, Mumbai from Mehoob Subhani Masjid to Kurla Kanta against #CAA_NRC#CAA_NRC_Protests #NRC_CAA#CitizenshipAmendmentAct#CAAProtests #MumbaiProtests #IndiaAgainstCAA #IndiaAgainstCAA_NRC pic.twitter.com/FFgRc1lGt6

— Tanveer (@TanveerAnas) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/top_gun55/status/1207997392873652224

‘Treated like criminals’: Kerala journos released after 7 hours of detention in Mangaluru. Shameful the BJP only believes in freedom of the press when the press agrees with them: https://t.co/I6KHNwWBEJ

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 20, 2019

https://twitter.com/shahaijaz/status/1208005073722388480

NRC and CAB protest was arranged at Shalimar Hotel Kurla West. Special thanks to our team and all other members who participated in this. Special thanks to “VB, Nagar & Kurla police station and All @MumbaiPolice who helped us in all this.
Thanks#MumbaikarsAgainstCAB pic.twitter.com/7HbdmoctSm

— ??Aijaz Shah?? (@shahaijaz) December 20, 2019

The Mumbai Police has been exceptionally efficient in managing the protests in the city. It has come to everyone’s notice that there has been police brutality on protestors where BJP is the ruling government. However, even that has not deterred protestors from voicing their displeasure. The whole of India has come united once again to dissent against the unconstitutional CAA and the impending NRC.

Related:

They came wearing clothes of harmony: Mumbai’s Dec 19
Student has to have his hand amputated following police action: AMU
Dalits and Muslims come together at anti-CAA protest in Malegaon
Gov’t strategically shutting down Delhi metro stations to control anti-CAA protesters?

The post After Mumbai; Nagpur, Pune and Kurla show the way against CA, NPR-NRC appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A 35-year-old man was paraded naked on Sunday evening by people for trying to rape a four-year-old girl at her house in Pardi area of Nagpur in Maharashtra, the Asian Age reported.

The police said that the accused, Jawahar Vaidya, a daily cash collection agent for a co-operative society bank, was thrashed, had his hands tied by a rope and paraded naked on the streets before being handed over to them.

An official told Asian Age, “Vaidya visits the house of the girl every day for collecting cash. Finding the girl alone on Sunday evening, he tried to sexually assault her. Suddenly, mother of the girl returned home and raised an alarm, following which her neighbours rushed to the spot.”

The neighbours, who gathered as the word spread, thrashed Vaidya for his actions. The police has registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Pardi police station.

The incident has enraged people all over the country, especially when the nation is already seething with anger after the brutal rape and murder of the 26-year-old Hyderabad veterinarian doctor which came to light on Thursday.

According to the data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2016, the total cases reported under the POCSO act were 36,022, with UP recording 4,954; Maharashtra recording 4,815 and Madhya Pradesh – 4,717. The total percentage of child rape cases stood at 34.4%, i.e. 19765 cases. The conviction rate in these cases stood at 28.2% with 2,230 men convicted.

2452 cases had been reported in Metropolitan cities, out of which 1,258 were pending investigation and 158 cases saw a conviction by the end of 2016.

This year itself, the Union Cabinet approved amendments to strengthen the POCSO Act by including the death penalty for aggravated cases of sexual assaults on children, the Economic Times reported.

The spate of increased incidents in sexual crimes against children and other heinous crimes against women have now driven the public to favour vigilante justice. With fast-track courts not doing their job and cases dragging on for years without credible justice in sight, what is the way to go to stop this evil from spreading even further?

Related:

Reject culture of misogyny, democratise socio-cultural spaces: #Justice4RapeVictims
A Look into the Kerala Double POCSO-Suicide Case
Death Penalty In POCSO Act Imperils Child Victims Of Sexual Offences
In R City Mall, Kidzania attendant molests two girls during their school trip: Mumbai
Tamil Nadu: 13-year-old girl beheaded for refusing sexual advances
Why India’s Children Must Wait Till 2022 To Get Justice Under Law Meant To Protect Them

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The early morning arrests of activiss and lawyers over the  Bhima-Koregaon violence rocked Maharashtra earlier this year, has invited criticism from civil liberty groups and Dalit organisations.

Early on Wednesday (June 6) morning, Dalit activist and Jawaharlal Nehru University alumnus Rona Wilson was picked up from Delhi and a Dalit writer and editor of Vidrohi magazine Sudhir Dhawale was arrested in Mumbai. The multi-city crackdown also saw activists Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, and lawyer Surendra Gadling being arrested from Nagpur. The arrests have been protested by the Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerana Abhiyan, which consists of 250 Dalit groups and activist organisations. The Dalit groups are planning to stage a mass protest against the arrests.

The activists have been arrested and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a senior cop in Nagpur, who chose to remain anonymous told Mint. It has been reported that the arrested men had allegedly spread controversial pamphlets and delivered hate speeches during an event called Elgar Parishad, which led to the riots.The event was held was held on December 31, 2017 to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon.

One person was killed, over 50 vehicles were torched and public property was damaged in the violence between the Dalit groups and the Marathas, following which Bharipa Bahujan Mahajan Sangh leader Prakash Ambedkar and other parties called for a Maharashtra bandh on January 3.

After the riots, the Deccan Gymkhana police station in Pune had also registered an FIR against Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani and JNU student Umar Khalid for allegedly inciting the violence and encouraging people to take to streets and retaliate.The latest crackdown saw the police making multiple arrests. The police version : “We have been able to establish the money trail between these Naxal sympathisers and Naxals ahead of the Elgar Parishad in Pune on December 31, 2017,” the senior official, who is associated with the state’s anti-Naxal operations said.

“Offences were registered against some of these activists including Dhawale in January only for the violence that broke out in Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 that we believe their inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad triggered. We have accumulated more evidence in the last few months and have a stronger case now,” the official added.

Meanwhile the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR) and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) have condemned the arrests. Meanwhile Gujarat MLA, Jignesh Mevani has, in a press conference in Jaipur condemned the arrests.
 

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Suddenly on March 14, 2017, Vice-Chancellor Dr S P Kane announced that the above seminar was postponed, without giving any reasons. The progressive forces and Ambedkarite professors reacted sharply against this arbitrary decision of the VC. The media contacted the VC, who argued that no proper permission was sought and the programme was organised in violation of administrative norms. The progressive academics retorted that proper permission was sought and the VC was not only apprised of the programme, but the Convocation Hall of the university was also decided as the venue and the VC had himself agreed to chair the inaugural session. Progressive forces met the VC in deputation and protested his action. The deputation comprised renowned Dalit writer Dr Yashwant Manohar, ex-minister Dr Nitin Raut, Nagesh Choudhary, Dr Kharat, Dr Ashok Godghate and others.

On March 15 and 16, the print media published the version of the VC and the reactions of progressive forces. The VC now told the press that the programme was postponed because Sitaram Yechury’s visit would disturb law and order and create turmoil in Nagpur. All the progressive and Republican forces together condemned the stand of the VC and decided that the lecture of Sitaram Yechury on the very same topic will be held at any cost at Nagpur on March 18 itself. The principal of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College, Nagpur, offered its Hall near Diksha Bhumi, the historic ground on which Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar converted to Buddhism on Dussehra day in 1956, along with lakhs of his followers. All progressive and Republican forces formed a joint committee to conduct the programme. There was no doubt left in anyone’s mind that the VC had cancelled the programme under pressure from the RSS and its outfits. During this period, the print and electronic media in Nagpur, Maharashtra and all over the country gave wide coverage to this issue.

On March 18, a series of programmes was conducted by the progressive forces right from receiving Sitaram Yechury at the Nagpur Airport. Hundreds of activists of Left parties like CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc, and also Republican parties of all groups, the Congress Party, Aam Aadmi Party etc were present at the airport from 2.30 pm to 5.45 pm till the arrival of Sitaram Yechury’s flight which was delayed by an hour. On the arrival of Sitaram, there was thunderous slogan shouting of Lal Salam and Jai Bhim. From the airport till the venue more than 500 motor cycles and cars took out a rally, which was taken to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue where Sitaram garlanded the Mahatma, then to Samvidhan Square where he garlanded the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, then to the Nagpur University where he garlanded the statue of the prominent social reformer of Vidarbha and former agriculture minister Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh. The rally then came to the Diksha Bhumi. Sitaram Yechury paid respects to Diksha Bhumi and came to Dr Ambedkar College where the media were waiting for him. He answered media questions on the issue and stated that the action of the VC of arbitrarily cancelling his lecture was an attack on democracy and freedom of expression.

The hall was jam packed and people were standing on the corridors on all floors of the College. Outside on the campus a massive crowd of more than 5000 had assembled. The organisers arranged speakers and screen on the ground where thousands of people from all walks of life were present.

The meeting was presided over by Dr P C Pawar, principal of Dr Ambedkar College. Dr Gautam Kamble made the introduction, Dr Avinash Fulzele conducted the proceedings and the vote of thanks was proposed by Prof Vidya Sorpagar.

Sitaram Yechury started his speech by saying that he felt honoured to give a lecture in this historic place of Diksha Bhumi and Dr Ambedkar College. He said that the basic concepts of liberty, equality and fraternity in the constitution are under threat today. Unless these three concepts are understood, accepted and adopted, the threat to democracy in Bharat will increase. We all have multiple identities based on caste, religion, state, region etc. Despite that we are all Bharatiya. In the Constitution Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had stated ‘India i.e. Bharat…’ purposefully to avoid any religious identity to the nation. Explaining further he said that, ‘Bha’ relates to feeling, ‘Ra’ is raga in music, ‘Ta’ means Tal (Rhythm). Unless all three come together the tune will not be pleasant. He further stated that people in the south worship Ravana and his temples are there, whereas people in the north burn his effigy. Who then should be called true Hindus?

He also pointed to the rapidly growing social, economic and political inequality in the country. Even when we have accepted one vote and one value for everyone in the country, socially, economically and politically values of individuals are very different. Supporting his views he said that in the year 2014, the richest one percent people in Bharat owned 49 percent of the country’s wealth. In 2016, within just two years of the Modi-BJP regime, this has increased to 58.4 percent. These official figures indicate that the rich have become richer and the poor poorer. With the privatisation of public sector units, employment opportunities are being destroyed and reservations are being attacked. Demonetisation has affected the common man the most. Farmers’ suicides, for which Vidarbha has become notorious, have increased all over the country by 42 percent in the last two years.

He also said that equality has been described by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Equality existed to some extent during the Buddha period. With the reassertion of Brahmanism, the situation started worsening. With neoliberalism today, inequality has become unbearable. The biggest challenge today is inequality and the youth will have to rise unitedly to fight it. Democracy will not die in Bharat, as the people will fight against any deviation from it.    

Finally, Sitaram underlined the grave danger to secularism and national unity emanating from the rabid communalism of the RSS and the Sangh Parivar. The results of the UP elections and the installation of Yogi Adityanath as the CM are dangerous portents which require the unity and struggle of all Left, democratic and secular forces around a common programme. He expressed confidence that such a united struggle will emerge all over the country in the coming days.    

Courtesy:  People's Democracy
 

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PTI reports that the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court today quashed the election of the BJP MLA from Gadchiroli on a plea that he didn't disclose details about the office of profit he was holding at the time of filing his nomination papers for the 2014 Assembly elections.

"A petition against the sitting MLA Deorao Holi was filed by Narayan Jambhule of Forward Block who had contested unsuccessfully against him in the 2014 polls," Jambhule's advocate Pradeep Wathore told PTI.

The petitioner had claimed that Holi did not disclose details about the Office of Profit he was holding while filing his nomination.

The counsel stated the Returning Officer concerned ignored the fact that Holi was a serving Medical Officer with the state government at the time of filing his papers.

"A departmental enquiry was proposed against him that time and recovery of Rs 8.68 lakh was pending against him," Wathore said without elaborating.

He said the HC bench in its order has declared Holi disqualified and stated that his nomination form should not have been accepted by the returning officer of Gadchiroli (ST) Assembly constituency.

When contacted, Holi told PTI he would challenge his disqualification in the Supreme Court after studying the order.

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