It is important to note that while the video surfaced only yesterday, the said inhumane incident had taken place on May 4, a day after the ongoing clashes in Manipur had begun, as confirmed by The Wire. As per the information provided, the incident occurred in B Phainom village in Kangpokpi district on May 4. As per the report in the Wire, a zero first information report (FIR) had been filed by the Saikul police, in Kangpokpi district, on May 18. One of the women was gang-raped, the FIR filed in connection with the incident says.

Details of the FIR

As per the Wire report, the zero FIR has charges of rape and murder against “unknown miscreants” numbering “800-1,000”. The complaint filed against the incident claims that these men are suspected to be “members of Meitei Youth Organisations, Meetei Leepun, Kangleipak Kanba Lup, Arambai Tenggol and World Meitei Council, Schedule Tribe Demand Committee”.

The said mob of men has been accused of burning down houses in the B Phainom village, and accosting a group of five people who were fleeing. There were two men and three women in the group. According to the complaint, the group was “snatched away from the custody” of a police team from the Nongpok Sekmai police station near Toubul (Sekmai khunou) “about 2 km from Nongpok Sekmai PS and about 3 km from 33 AR Somrei Post”.

One of the men, father of the gang raped girl, was killed immediately by the mob. He was 56 years old, as reported by the Quint. The mob then forced all the three women to strip. It is purported that the younger woman, aged 21, was gang-raped while the other two women escaped. When the brother of the woman who was being raped tried to stop the assault, he was also murdered. He was 19 years old.

As per a report in The Print, the men screamed, “We will do to you what your men did to our women.” Revisiting the ordeal, one of the survivors, who is in her 40s, told that they wanted to take “revenge for the Churachandpur case.”

She was referring to a false claim that a Meitei nurse working in Churachandpur was raped by a tribal mob on 3 May, which led to ‘revenge rapes’ by Meitei groups. The claim, however, was debunked when the victim’s father clarified on a news channel that nothing had happened to her.

Another survivor told Scroll.in that she was told to “lie down” after the mob dragged her to the paddy field. “I did as they told me, and three men surrounded me… One of them told the other, ‘let’s rape her’, but ultimately they did not,” she told the publication.

Response from the Manipur Police:

In an official response to the alleged video, the Superintendent of Police (SP), K Meghachandra Singh issued a press note stating that the Manipur police is making “all-out effort” to arrest the culprits who were involved in the incident. The police provided that a case of abduction, gang-rape and murder was registered in relation to the incident.

The press note stated, “As regards the video of 2 women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on 4th May 2023, a case of abduction, gang rape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai Police Station (Thoubal district) against unknown armed miscreants. Investigation has started and the state police is making an all-out effort to arrest the culprits at the earliest.”

An outrage- too little, too late

The surfacing of the said video, 77 days after the incident, has caused a public outrage, enough to make all the silent spectators turn their attention to the atrocities taking place in Manipur. According to sources, the Centre asked Twitter and other social media platforms to pull down the video as the matter is under investigation.

Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare Smriti Irani also responded to the alleged video after speaking to the state chief minister. Irani posted on Twitter saying, ‘The horrific video of sexual assault of 2 women emanating from Manipur is condemnable and downright inhuman. Spoke to CM N Biren Singh ji who has informed me that investigation is currently underway and assured that no effort will be spared to bring perpetrators to justice.’

The opposition leaders and commentators  immediately questioned why there had been a two-month gap, 76 days to be apt, in the Union minister’s knowledge of the incident in response to Smriti Irani’s statement. Several other Opposition leaders called for Singh’s resignation.  Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), said that Irani’s response came two months too late. “Stop it Mantriji, your obnoxious silence on the women wrestlers too makes it clear your intent is to only save a seat in the cabinet,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had maintained silence over the atrocities and violence taking place in Manipur, made his first statement over this incident outside the Parliament, just ahead of the start of the Monsoon session.

“I assure the people that the guilty will not be spared and the law will act with its full might. What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can’t be forgiven. It is a shameful incident for any country, this is an insult of the country. The 140-crore people of this countries are being shamed,” Modi said adding that he has urged Chief Ministers to strength law and order especially to protect women.

He further said “I want to assure my countrymen nobody will be spared. The law will take its course. The incident will not be pardoned ever.”

The statement of PM Modi came out after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra condemned the horrific crime, and AAP issued a statement seeking PM Modi’s intervention.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter that Modi’s silence and inaction has led Manipur into anarchy.

“INDIA will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur,” he said, referring to the recently-formed alliance of 26 Opposition parties. “We stand with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way forward.”

The above-mentioned statement made by PM Modi is the first one of its kind. Notably, till now, the ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities have spiraled into a civil war since May 3. Over 140 people have been killed while more than 60,000 have been displaced and hundreds of relief camps have been established.

It is further essential to point out that when the European Parliament adopted a motion on the Manipur violence, on July 12, and stated that it “denounces in the strongest terms nationalistic rhetoric deployed by leading members of the BJP party”, the Indian government had responded to the said motion by claiming that the issue of Manipur is an “internal matter.”

Blind eye to the protest of the Kuki women in Delhi, all efforts to meet the PM before this were unsuccessful.

The video of women being paraded naked was successful in getting the attention of the Union government, something which multiple organised protests and delegations have been unsuccessful in doing. It is essential to highlight here on June 10, a group of women from Manipur’s Kuki community had staged a candlelight vigil at Jantar Mantar to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in Manipur violence. Scores of women from the Kuki community had gathered with candles.

In addition to this, through a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they sought his intervention to bring back normalcy in the state. They also demanded to include immediate imposition of President’s rule in Manipur, permanent solution through separate administration, more deployment of central forces and neutral officers at conflict zones, security at mortuary and hospitals.

Before this, on June 7, people from the Kuki community had held a protest outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah‘s residence here against the ongoing violence in the northeastern state. As per reports, the protesters had held placards with messages such as ‘Save Kuki Lives’ and raising slogans.

Even before this, on May 30, around 500 Manipuri Kuki-Zo women had staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, demanding that President’s Rule, under Article 356 of the Constitution, be imposed in the State of Manipur as an immediate measure to control the violence.  The women, most of whom still have family and friends in different parts of Manipur, had decided to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar as a desperate call for the Union government to strongly intervene and end the violence, which, they alleged, was being perpetrated with assistance from State government law enforcement officials.

Related:

“246 churches burnt in 2 day, somebody strong is playing games in Manipur”: Father Jacob G Palackappilly

Manipur violence: EU Parliament “denounces the nationalistic rhetoric deployed by leading members of the BJP party”

Manipur violence: SC provides interim protection in sedition case against lawyer who accompanied fact-finding team

Manipur Violence: SC bench seeks updated status report from State on rehabilitation, law & order situation

One in Manipur, another in Kashmir: Veterans slam two faces of Indian Army

Manipur is Burning but who cares?

Bishops of India must protest & speak out for peace, against injustices in Manipur & India: Jesuit priest

Denial of internet an assault on fundamental freedoms – a deep dive into Manipur’s incessant internet ban

Manipur women stage protest at Jantar Mantar to end violence in state

The Invisible Split: A report documenting reports of “ethnic cleansing” in Manipur, 2023

120 Churches destroyed, Christians insecure: Manipur

No Compensation Enough for Traumatised Kukis Fleeing Manipur

The post Manipur Violence: Video showing 2 Kuki women being paraded naked opens the eyes of the government, PM Modi and Irani make first statements appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On March 16, in the ongoing budget session of the Parliament, Lok Sabha member Shri Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) had put forth a question regarding the representation of minorities in public sector institutions. Responding to the same, the minister of minority affairs, Srimati Smriti Zubin Irani, informed the Lok Sabha that the Department of Public Enterprises does not maintain data about religion-wise distribution of jobs for minority communities in Public Sector Institutions. In addition to this, the Minister provided the staple answer wherein they highlighted that the Ministry of Minority Affairs has adopted multi-pronged strategy so as to enhance the employability, including in Public Sector Institutions, of notified minorities (Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains) by way of implementation of schemes which aim at their educational empowerment, employment-oriented skill development, infrastructure support, etc.

The full answer can be read here:

This poor representation of various sections of India’s marginalised, make it almost impossible for the social issues and crimes most plaguing the country today, to be taken seriously. The schemes that are in place, mostly initiated by the previous governments, are used as a gag whenever statistics on actual representation in various sectors are demanded. It is further important to note that public sector institutes are the only sectors that do not have any data on the number of religious minorities employed there, and since 2013, the National Crimes Records Bureau annual report has ceased reporting the level of Muslim representation in the police.

A deeper analysis on lack of representation of Muslim in police force and de-sensitized police force can be read here.

Related:

Who is to be blamed for the consistently low Muslim representation in the police force?

Study finds anti-Muslim prejudices among police personnel

How diverse and inclusive is the Indian judiciary?

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

Uttar Pradesh has highest number of cases “closed by the NHRC without reason”: NHRC data

The post No data maintained on religion-wise distribution of jobs for minority communities in Public Sector Institutions: MoMA appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Allahabad High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to a History professor accused of posting obscene comment about Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani. While the applicant contended that his account was hacked and he did not post the content, the bench of Justice JJ Munir observed that there was no material to prove the same.

The anticipatory bail application was filed by Dr. Shaharyar Ali since an FIR was lodged against him under Section 505(2) IPC (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and Section 67A (Punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form) of Information Technology Act.

The counsel for the applicant submitted that he was falsely implicated at the instance of the informant, who is a Zila Mantri of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The applicant is a Professor in a degree college and Head of the History Department, and it was submitted that the objectionable post in question was done by hacking of his Facebook ID, regarding which, he has expressed his apologies.

The counsel for the government opposed the bail stating that the post carried obscene comment about a Cabinet Minister a containing a rumour likely to promote hatred or ill will behaviour between different religious groups.

The court considered the submissions and held that the contents of the post are indeed such which may in fact, promote or in all likelihood of promoting ill-will or hatred between different communities. The court stated that there is no material show whether the account was hacked and the fact that the applicant posted an apology shows that it was still being operated by him.

“In the prima facie opinion of this Court, looking to the fact that the applicant is a senior teacher in a college and a Head of Department, conduct of this kind prima facie does not entitle him to the indulgence of anticipatory bail,” the court held.

The court did not find it to be a fit case to grant anticipatory bail, however stated that the applicant is entitled to surrender and seek regular bail, which shall be considered expeditiously and in accordance with law.

The order may be read here:

Related:

SC stays Allahabad HC order granting bail on apprehension of death due to Covid

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Covid-19: SC stays Allahabad HC order as certain directions were incapable of being executed

The post Allahabad HC refuses pre-arrest bail to alleged rumour monger  appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Days after she was herself named in a police complaint, international shooter Vartika Singh approached the MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh, accusing Union Minister Smriti Irani and two others of “demanding money” to appoint her as a member of a ‘central women’s commission’. According to multiple news reports the shooter has alleged that two men who she believes are “people close to the minister” gave her a fake letter, “appointing her as a member of the central women’s commission”, the news reports state that Singh was perhaps referring to the National Commission for Women.

According to news reports, Vartika Singh has alleged that Vijay Gupta and Rajnish Singh, the men who she identified as the two “aides” of Union Minister Smriti Irani, “initially demanded Rs 1 crore from her and then brought the amount down to Rs 25 lakh.”

Singh also alleged that one of the men talked to her in an obscene manner. However, it is important to note that Vijay Gupta, one of the men Singh has accused, had filed a complaint against the shooter and another person at Musafirkhana police station in Amethi district on November 23.  Gupta had accused them of “levelling unfounded charges” against him, and added that they were “trying to spoil his image.” The police had lodged an FIR against Vartika Singh, based on that complaint. However, Singh claimed that Gupta had lodged the complaint after she threatened to “expose corruption”. The MP-MLA court has fixed January 2 for a hearing after which it will decide if the case falls under its jurisdiction, according to news reports that quoted her lawyer.

The last time shooter Vartika Singh was in the news was when she had reportedly written to Union home minister Amit Shah, stating that she volunteered to execute the four convicts in the December 16, 2012, ‘Nirbhaya’ gang rape and murder case. According to a news report in the Hindustan Times, Singh had written a letter ‘in blood’ to  Union home minister Amit Shah, stating that the four convicts should be executed by a woman and she volunteered. “Hanging of the Nirbhaya case convicts should be done by me. This will send a message throughout the country that a woman can also conduct execution,” Vartika Singh was quoted as saying. She had asked “women actors and MPs to support” her and hoped, “this will bring change in society.”

Related

Jharkhand: NCW takes cognisance of gangrape where survivor’s husband was 

Sheena Choudhary case: Delhi HC slams Rajasthan Police for ‘completely unjustified’ 

BJP karyakarta, Modi devotee, anti-’love jihad’ proponent, anti-feminist: Who is the 

The post International Shooter Vartika Singh moves court against Smriti Irani, two others appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development said that police and public order are a state subject and thus the state’s responsibility when asked about measures to address the evil of violence against women.

When asked about government measures to contain the menace of violence against women, Union Minister Smriti Irani said, “’Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The responsibilities to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens rest primarily with the respective State Governments.”

This statement came along with data that showed a growing rate of crimes against women. Similarly, the Department records also showed that most States had failed to utilise even half of the Nirbhaya Funds released. In December 2019, Parliament data showed that many States had failed to effectively use Nirbhaya Funds.

For example, Maharashtra was recorded as the only large State that had used zero funds provided by the scheme. The data resulted in severe criticism of both Central and state governments for their general apathy towards a prevalent social issue.

During this year’s monsoon session, the Centre’s records showed yet again that states had utilised less than half the funds provided under this scheme. The only exceptions were Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Moreover, in stark contrast to the 2019 data, the Centre now said that Maharashtra had utilised Rs. 179.36 crores out of Rs. 295.93 crores funds released.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh had only used Rs. 42.72 crores out of Rs. 123.37 crores funds released despite being the state with the highest women suicides due to dowry-related issues – 496 deaths in 2019. Among Union Territories, Delhi ranked the highest with 59 such deaths in 2019. Overall, 1,815 dowry-related suicides were registered in India in 2019.

Similarly, the newly-created Union Territory of Ladakh had used no money from the Rs 0.27 crores funds released.

When Member of Parliament (MP) Adoor Prakash asked about proposals received by the Centre under this scheme and government measures to enable faster implementation, Irani said:

“A total of 35 schemes/ projects have been appraised and recommended by the EC so far. The EC reviews the status of implementation of the approved projects from time to time in conjunction with the concerned Ministries/ Departments/ Implementing Agencies (IAs). The Ministries/ Departments/ IAs also review and monitor the progress of their respective schemes/ projects for faster implementation at their level.”

MP Amar Singh asked the Centre about the increasing violence against women and the continuing prevalence of the social evil of dowry in India.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data from 2016-2018 showed that crimes committed against women had increased from 3,38,954 cases in 2016 to 3,78,277 cases in 2018. The maximum number of cases were filed under ‘Cruelty by husband or his relatives’ in 2018. As many as eight cases were registered in 2018 under the crime of ‘buying minor girls.’

The Union Minister said that the Government considers safety and security of women as its highest priority and listed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 among the many government legislations.

Related:

NHRC, Delhi High Court spring into action, pull up governments on women’s safety measures, utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund
Now, Smriti Irani says no data on anganwadi workforce!
No data, so no compensation: Centre’s shocking revelation on migrant labourer deaths!
WCD Ministry gives unsatisfactory answers on efforts to protect women and children

The post Public order a state subject: Smriti Irani on gov’t measures against gendered crimes appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on September 17 told the Parliament that the Ministry does not maintain data on the number of women who exited the anganwadi workforce after the coronavirus lockdown.

After the failings of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare this is the third Central department to say that it does not maintain unorganised sector data.

“This Ministry does not maintain this data,” was the curt reply of Minister Irani; a recurrent statement observed during this year’s monsoon session.

Similarly, Irani also failed to correctly answer Member of Parliament (MP) Mallikarjun Kharge’s query on the number of girls who dropped out of schools following the lockdown. The Union Minister said the Centre was making efforts to reduce the number of dropouts through Centrally-sponsored schemes such as Samagra Shiksha although she did not mention the exact figure of such dropouts.

“The Department of School Education has issued guidelines for States/UTs with regard to children of migrant labourers to prevent their drop-out,” she said.

When asked about government measures to ensure more women participation in the workforce post-lockdown, Irani said that the government has advised the public including women to take all precautions for prevention from Covid-19, while pursuing professions. Activities like work-from-home, online teaching, tele-medicine consultations were encouraged.

Lastly, on increasing salaries of anganwadi workers/ ASHA workers, due to inflation, she said that the government that in addition to the monthly payment of Rs. 2,000 under the National Health Mission, the government had paid an additional incentive of Rs 1,000 per month in view of the ASHA workers significant contribution towards Covid-19 pandemic related work.

“States/UTs have been asked to ensure provision of safety tools like masks and sanitizers for ASHAs and under the recently launched Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, Insurance Scheme has been introduced for all health workers, including ASHAs. This insurance scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs. 50 Lakhs in case of loss of life due to COVID 19 pandemic or else due to accident on account of Covid-19 related duty,” said Irani.

MP Tiruchi Siva asked about state-wise and district-wise numbers of anganwadi centres and the vacancies therein as of August 2020. Sivas also asked for the number of centres set up between 2014-2019.

The Ministry data showed that as of June 30, as many as 13,83,875 anganwadi centres have been operational all over the country of the 13,99,697 centres sanctioned.

Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Punjab, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Telangana had fewer operational centres than the number of sanctioned centres.

Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of vacancies at 19,807 positions out of 1,90,145 sanctioned positions. Nationally there were 79,971 vacant positions out of 13,99,697 sanctioned positions. Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh and Ladakh had zero vacancies.

In 2018-19, 13,72,872 anganwadi centres were operational in India out of the sanctioned number of 13,99,697 centres.

AU628 can be read here:

Related:

No data to check unemployment rate in last 12 months?
Strike 2: Centre now says no data on Covid-19 deaths of medical staff!
No data, so no compensation: Centre’s shocking revelation on migrant labourer deaths!

The post Now, Smriti Irani says no data on anganwadi workforce! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Goebbels was an interesting and effective man. Held responsible for many of the worst and most supremacist and violent ideas that guided Fuhrer Hitler’s reign, he is recalled in history, more as a frequently used adjective-term, to connote a particular kind of pernicious government propaganda based on lies, or at best half-truths (he headed the Propaganda Ministry of the Nazi government).

The broader issues raised in the speech by the Union Minister for Human Resources Development (MHRD) have already been effectively countered in The Telegraph : A [1]Fact Check on what HRD minister Smruti Irani said in Parliament [2] including countering systematic efforts at vilification and name calling.[3]

Here we put some Questions countering the Goebbelsian untruths surrounding the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula

Did or did not the central minister of the BJP, Bandaru Dattatreya write to Irani on August 17, 2015, a letter in which he clearly calls the activities and vision of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) as casteist and anti-national?  Letter can be seen here.

Was or was not Rohith Vemula’s Research Fellowship stopped (illegally) for seven months severely constraining and humiliating him?

Did or did not, on five occasions, bureaucrats of the MHRD under Irani write directly to the Vice Chancellor (VC) Hyderabad Central University (HCU) on the matter showing an unseemly interest in the case ?

(The letters are dated September 3, 2015 from the Under Secretary referring to comments by Bandaru Dattatreya, MOS, for Labour and Employment; another dated September 24, 2015, sent as reminder, signed by Deputy Secretary to the GOI; letter dated October 20, 2015, signed by Joint Secretary, MHRD; letter dated November 19, 2015, signed by Under Secretary to the GOI). Letters can be seen here.

Do or do not these letters show an obsessive interest by the Minister, MHRD that was, in effect, putting extraordinary pressure on the VC?

Is it or is it not true that a fellow student at HCU called the Health Centre immediately after learning of Rohith being hanged and within five minutes the CMO Health Centre, Dr P Rajashree reached the spot, felt his pulse and declared him dead nullifying the Goebellian lie to the nation in Parliament that no doctor or police were allowed to see Rohith till the next day? 
[The doctor certified Rohith’s death at 7.30 pm: UoH medical officer counters Smriti Irani’s statement – http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/doctor-certified-rohiths-death-730-pm-uoh-medical-officer-counters-smriti-iranis-statement#sthash.tdp9MlM4.dpuf]

Is it not true that Rohith Vemula was quietly cremated without family or friends as the authorities did not want to face up to the palpable anger on campus and outside?
 
Did or did not the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Appa Rao receive a chilling letter from Rohith Vemula on December 18, 2015 –a month before his death –that clearly indicated a warning: that by the systematic exclusion and humiliation Rohith was being pushed, and reaching, the end of his tether?

[Rohith allegedly sarcastically said in the letter that every VC of HCU should “10 mg of sodium azide to all the Dalit students at the time of admission… [and] a nice rope to the rooms of all Dalit students.” This handwritten letter should have been read as a precursor to what was coming. In the letter, Rohith allegedly goes on to say, “I request your highness to make preparations for the facility [of] ‘euthanasia’ for students like me. And I wish you and the campus rest in peace forever.” ]

Does or does this communication not squarely put the blame on the university authorities and, first and foremost, on the vice chancellor ?
[The letter traces the officially sanctioned “social boycott” of Dalit students after they took on a member of the ABVP for making derogatory remarks about Dalits. “Donald Trump will be a lilliput in front of you..”]

Did or does the VC feel at all disturbed by this communication? Does the GOI? Was there any communication between the VC, HCU authorities and Rohith and the other four research scholars between December 18, 2015 and January 17, 2016?

Were or were not the five Dalit Research scholars locked out of their rooms from January 4, 2016 onwards, compelling them to start a protest and sleep out, on the street, rubbing salt on wounds so to speak: since their research fellowship stipends had been illegally cut off from July 2015 onwards?

Were or were not the five Dalit scholars ostracised on campus and asked not even to visit the library for research, further humiliating them?

Is it or is it not true that senior functionaries of the GOI, including two central ministers (both women) have questioned the authenticity of Dalit identity of Rohith? link[4] (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rohith-Vemula-was-not-a-dalit-Sushma-Swaraj-says/articleshow/50788780.cms)

After January 17, 2016 and the tragic step that Rohith Vemula took, did or did not the GOI appoint Ajit Duval, National security Advisor the Task to investigate the real caste of Rohith Vemula?  (See Certificates)
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ajit-Doval-gets-report-saying-Rohith-Vemula-was-not-a-dalit/articleshow/50749810.cms; also see http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/was-rohith-vemula-dalit-or-not-and-does-it-matter-explained-37936]

Did the trail not begin politically: with the Vice President, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Hyderabad,  Nandanam Diwakar writing to Central minister Dattareya, (August 10, 2015), seven days before the latter writes to Irani, a letter in which wrong and exaggerated accounts of ABVP student, Susheel Kumar’s injuries are given as well as a litany of political opposition to Ambedkarites listed? Here is the letter.

Is it not true that the claim that the University’s Investigation Team had a Dalit is untrue (Irani’s claim); there were no Dalits in the team and it was in fact headed by a Brahmin?

Is it or is it not true that all claims that ABVP student leader, Susheel Kumar “was beaten up by Rohith”, made repeatedly are actually, are untrue; HCU registrar and others have rejected Susheel Kumar’s story on violence relying on medical reports show that he was admitted to hospital for appendicitis?

 Is it not true that the executive council of HCU only decided to suspend the students, that too from their hostels (Irani said they were expelled by the EC!) and that the trigger was a falsified account of a physical struggle between the RSS-affiliated ABVP and the ASA; with the former screaming “assault” and the hospital records suggesting an examination for a prior medical condition?

While Irani was giving what some have termed as a star performance in the Lok Sabha– even India’s prime minister tweeted his jubiliation at her speech– Rohith Vemula’s mother, Radhika, was at a candlelight vigil at India Gate demanding justice for her  26-year-old son. Radhika Vemula was picked up and taken to a police station in the heart of the capital when Smriti Irani was telling Parliament how condemnable it was that a “child was being used as a political tool”.

Close to a month before, in a similar act the MHRD minister, Irani had, in a press conference, claimed that Rohith’s death had nothing to do with his being a Dalit.

Then Radhika Vemula had countered and I today recall those words, “I want to meet Smriti Irani and ask her ‘On what basis did you declare my son to be anti-national? Your Ministry had written that my Rohith and other Dalit students were anti-national extremists. You said that he is not a Dalit. You accused him of getting a false certificate. Should I say it is because you got false certificates for your educational qualifications that you think others do so too? You stopped my son’s stipend, you got him suspended from the university. You are the Minister for HRD, but you have no value for education. You can never understand how difficult it is for a Dalit to reach the stage of doing his PhD. You can never imagine the hardship, the struggle, the tears and sacrifice to reach that position. In three months, you destroyed what it had taken me 26 years to build. I am talking about my Rohith, he died at the age of 26.'”

Goebbelsian as the propaganda machine is, I do not really expect answers. There are two parallel streams at work here, one asserting, the other challenging the Indian Constitution. The war between truth, reality and propaganda is well and truly on.
 

The post Calling Smriti Irani’s Bluff: Twisted Truths in Parliament appeared first on SabrangIndia.

During the Lok Sabha session on November 22, 2019, four Members of Parliament – Manne Srinivas Reddy, Nusrat Jahan Ruhi, Dean Kuriakose, Gurjeet Singh Aujla – asked the Ministry of Women, Child and Development questions on three issues. Here is a breakdown of their queries and the Ministry’s response.
 

1. Has crime committed against women and juvenile/children increased within the last ten years in Delhi and Mumbai?

As to this first query, Irani quotes National Crime Records Bureau data to state that the crime committed against women and children are on decrease, but the crime rate has increased in Mumbai “within the last two years.” This NCRB data, however, is based on information from two years ago as the latest data available is from 2017.
 

2. What number of victims received legal help and protection through the Ministry of Women and Child Development during the trial?

With respect to the second query, Irani provides information on the Sakhi programme formulated under the Umbrella of National Mission for Empowerment of Women. 2.27 lakh women have benefitted from One Stop Centre Scheme and 38.62 lakh women have benefited from its Universalisation of Women Helpline Scheme, Irani states.

While this is the only information in the answer that was previously unpublished, it glazes over important details of how the scheme has actually been faring.

Only a total of 377 alleged domestic violence cases have been registered since December, 2017 till now at the OSC. Out of these, 107 cases are still pending. Multiple personal accounts of women in Haryana speak about the lack of funds, amenities and services to alleged police interference in OSCs.

Additionally, Irani provides details on Child Care Institutions (CCIs) made for “Children in need of care and protection” (CNCP) of the country, along with number of Children residing in them in an attached Annexure. While the institution of state homes for children is a step in the right direction, this glosses over cases of child rights violations witnessed in such childcare homes.

A research study titled, “Beyond 18: Leaving Child Care Institutions – A Study of Aftercare Practices in Five States of India,” released in August 2019, reported that 44% childcare leavers or CLs were never consulted in their care and rehabilitation planning, nearly 21% of all CLs across states had not received the education they had wanted to in their childcare institutes, while 35% had faced difficulty in continuing their education when they had transitioned out of childcare institutes. An overwhelming 52% of children said they lead unsatisfactory lives in CCIs.

Dissatisfaction in life is the often the lesser evil for these children. According to the Jena Committee Report of September 2018 (published by the Ministry of Women and Child Development itself) 1575 children had fallen victim to cases of sexual abuse while staying in CCIs. 189 children were also reported to be victims of child pornography in the Report. A case of alleged molestation by an employee of a girls’ home was reported on the day of this publication itself.

Keeping the increased sense of their responsibility in mind, Punjab now requires children NGOs to register themselves under the JJA so as to continue functioning (91% of CCIs are run by non-governmental organisations).
 

3. Does the Government have any plans for protection of women and juvenile criminals and provision of financial assistance that can enable their engagement in gainful employment?

For the third question, Irani makes a reference to CCIs again. With respect to Children in Conflict with Law Children housed in CCIs are supposed to be provided various rehabilitation and reintegration services (including skill development, vocational training, recreational facilities, mental health interventions) under the JJA.

However, as Udayan Care research study noted, the Child Protection System constructed under the JJA is not prepared to assist children that depend on it in reintegrating back into society, and the poor state of ICPs as well as rehabilitation planning emerges as a common deficit across states.

The Minister has not responded to query regarding protection of women criminals or the provision of financial support to woman and child prisoners. The lack of answers in the latter issue is particularly disheartening since most undertrial prisoners in India are so poor that they can’t even afford to pay the money required to secure bail.

The Ministry’s response can be read here: INSERT RESPONSE

Related:

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Interview with Aneez K Mappila
Interviewed by Sreelakshmi Produced by Newsclick & ICF Production,

The 65th National Film Awards ceremony, held on 3 May 2018 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, witnessed a mass boycott by filmmakers and artists when it was announced that the awards will be distributed by the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Smriti Irani, instead of the President, a tradition that has been unbroken for 65 years. Newsclick and The Indian Writers’ Forum spoke to Aneez K Mappila, director of The Slave Genesis, which won a National Film Award for the Best Anthropological Documentary. He was one of the 66 people who boycotted the award ceremony.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

The post “I Didn’t Want to Receive an Award from a BJP Minister”: Aneez K Mappila, National Award Winner appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The 65th National Awards ceremony held on 3 May 2018 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi raised some eyebrows when 69 artists and filmmakers decided to walk out of the hall, boycotting the award function.  Smriti Irani, who was to present the award, was greeted with a largely empty hall, whose absence was made even more apparent by the nameplates of the award recipients that marked their seats. The award recipients boycotted the award after they found at the last-minute that President Ram Nath Kovind would only present the award to 11 recipients out of a total of 140. Those who did receive the awards from the President included Boney Kapoor, who received the award on behalf of his late wife, Sridevi), Akshay Khanna,on behalf of the late Vinod Khanna and Bengali actor Riddhi Sen.This is the first time in history that a serving President has not been available to present the award. The group who staged the walk-out had written a letter the day before, which was read out by Chaitanya Prasad, Additional Director General, Director of Film Festival. “It feels like a breach of trust, when an institution/ceremony that abides by extreme protocol fails to inform us of such a vital aspect of the ceremony with(sic) a prior notice. It seems unfortunate that 65 years of tradition are being overturned in a jiffy.” In response, the Rashtrapati Bhavan attempted to justify the change by issuing a statement that said, “The President attends the award functions and convocation maximum for one hour.” But it should not forgotten that one of the reasons why the national award is considered prestigious and important for the winners is because the award is given by the President of India and not by a random cabinet minister.

The Indian Cultural Forum spoke to multiple filmmakers about their decision to boycott of the 65th Nationl Award Ceremony. Here is what they had to say:

“65th National Film Award winners, including myself, have boycotted the function because this is an unprecedented situation. This has never happened before in the last 65 years where the President refuses to present the award.  This is part of a larger political agenda to bypass the President’s power so that the country is under the control of a certain political party.  Some of us have decided to take a stand. We refuse to receive the award from a BJP Minister, and boycott the award distribution ceremony.”  Aneez K Mappila , Director, The Slave Genesis

“They are breaking a tradition of 65 years. We are not commercial filmmakers. They could have told us in advanced, then we would not have come here. President should present us the award. That is our right. It is a tradition that the President give the award. Its one his duties. It takes years to make a film. And it takes a minute for the President to present the award.”  Meghnath, Filmmaker

“It is very important for us to protest. But we are not boycotting the award itself. In the letter we received, it was mentioned that the President of India will give away the award. If the President was not available, they should have mentioned it before hand that a Cabinet Minister will be presenting the awards on behalf of the President the awards will be given. There’s discrepancy in what the letter states and what actually happened. If they are saying that the President of India is giving away the award, then it should be him, not anyone else. We are very unhappy with this decision. We are not a union; we are a group of independent film makers who have been working in this field for years. Now we have decided to boycott the award function.”   Teenaa Kaur, Director, When the Sun Didn’t Rise.

Read the full draft of the letter here:

Sreelakshmi is a member of the editorial collective of the Indian Writers’ Forum.

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum

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