Seven SC families face social boycott

Sathish G.T.

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The seven families refused to clean streets and beat drums during festivals like their ancestors

Village elders passed a diktat asking people to boycott them, and violators are being fined

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Facing the ire: Seven Scheduled Caste (Madiga) families are allegedly being boycotted by the Lingayat community at Keragodu village in Arkalgud taluk in Hassan district.

Keragodu (Arkalgud taluk): Seven families of the Scheduled Caste (Madiga) in Keragodu village in Arkalgud taluk have allegedly been socially boycotted by the Lingayat community people who form a majority in the village. Refusal to continue with the traditional profession of their community has proved costly for them. Their ancestors used to dispose off dead animals, clean village streets, dig graves and beat drums during festivals, which the seven families have refused to do and are now facing the wrath of the people of the upper castes in the village.

Keragodu is a village in which 110 families reside and the village panchayat is a non-elected body of elders dominated by members of the upper caste. The panchayat has allegedly instructed the village people to boycott seven SC families and those who violate the diktat are being fined.

Of the nine Scheduled Caste (Madiga) families in the village, two families enjoy a good relationship with the upper caste Lingayat community because they continue to do all the work that their ancestors did and that is – dispose off dead animals, clean village streets, dig graves and beat drums during festivals.

A year ago Basavaraju, a Dalit, had refused to perform the traditional profession. His was the first family to be ostracised by the village panchayat. The panchayat issued a diktat that no villager should talk to any member of Basavaraju's family and violation would attract a fine of Rs. 50.

Basavaraju said, “I don't want to continue the profession which my father did. Carrying corpse of cattle is a herculean task for which we are paid a meagre amount. We are made to dig a grave only for a rupee. As I refused to carry on with that kind of work, I was victimised”, he said.

According to Eeraiah, a Dalit, boycott was extended to other six families when they all refused to beat drums during Deepavali celebrations last year. Gowramma, a Dalit woman, said the upper caste women do not allow her to fetch water from the public borewell and if they have to do so their turn comes only after the upper caste women complete fetching water for their households. “We are very few in number in comparison to the Lingayat community and so we live in constant fear”, she said.

Eeraiah said that the panchayat had imposed fine on nearly 10 people belonging to the Lingayat community for speaking to the ostracised families. A shopkeeper who sold food grains to Dalit families attracted a fine and a gram panchayat member Mahadevappa also paid fine for taking help from a Dalit to provide medicine to his ailing cattle.

During the Ugadi celebrations on April 4, the idol of lord Basaveshwara from Basaveshwara temple, a Muzrai temple, was carried door-to-door in the village. But the priest allegedly refused to stop the procession at the doorsteps of the Dalit families.

Manjunath, a Dalit, had filed a complaint with Konanur police against priest Vishweshwaraiah alleging that he had denied the Dalits their right to offer prayers to god during Ugadi. Responding to the allegation, Mahadevappa, vice-president of the Lakkur Gram Panchayat and a Lingayat, said that the dispute over petty issues had been blown out of proportion by the Dalits. “Nobody has been boycotted. Elders of the village have taken some decisions for the welfare of the village and everybody has to obey it”, he said.

Tahsildar M.K. Savitha, Deputy Superintendent of Police Parashuram and other officers held a peace meeting in the village on Wednesday.

Ms. Savitha said the Dalits and Lingayats of the village had some personal differences which had been given the colour of social boycott. “We have enquired the matter at length. There are no instances of social boycott in the village”, she said.

According to the tahsildar, the village leaders did not allow a few families to offer prayers to god during the Ugadi festival as they had not contributed to organise the festival.

Sexual harassment: Victim’s husband ‘warned’

Mysore, March 8, DHNS

Four persons in the guise of scribes have warned Dr Vijaykumar, husband of the research student who has made sexual harassment charges against her guide Prof Shivabasavaiah, of dire consequences, if he stuck to his charges made against the Vice-chancellor Prof V G Talawar that the latter ignored the complaint lodged by his wife.

“I was at the hospital on Monday around 11.30 pm, when four people introduced themselves as journalists and took me out for a talk. They warned me of dire consequences if I continued pressing charges against the Vice Chancellor”, Vijaykumar told Deccan Herald. Recalling their warnings, Vijaykumar said they wanted him to drop the charges against the VC, and they didn't really care what he did with Shivabasavaiah. However, Vijaykumar is yet to lodge a complaint in this regard at the jurisdictional Jayalakshmipuram Police Station. “Since my wife still needs attention, I am unable to go to the station leaving her under someone’s care, or least of all, unsupervised”, Vijaykumar said. Vijaykumar said that he has been orally summoned for probe on March 11 by Women Harassment Complaint Committee which investigates such charges, at the varsity. According to sources, Shivabasavaiah has also been summoned. Protests Close on the heels of various organisations staging protest demanding action against Prof Shivabasavaiah, HoD, Zoology Department, University of Mysore, on Monday, students under the banner of Federation of Dalit Students staged a protest in support of Vice-chancellor Prof V G Talawar and Shivabasavaiah here on Tuesday. The protesters including boys and girls, who arrived in a rally at Crawford Hall, held placards in support of Talawar and Shivabasavaiah, and against Legislative Council’s Deputy Chairperson Vimalagowda and MLC Bharathi Shetty, and Prof Suresh Nayak a colleague of Shivabasavaiah for hatching the conspiracy. Former mayor R Purushothama who had taken the lead said that Talawar and Shivabasavaiah were being targeted for no fault of theirs. The state government could have waited for the report from the committee formed to probe such charges in the varsity, before taking action. However, in contrast to this, a complaint has been lodged against them at Vijayanagar Police station here- with Shivabasavaiah being prime accused and VC the second, Purushothama said. A few of the girl students among them spoke in favour of Shivabasavaiah.  They later proceeded towards the office of Deputy Commissioner and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Harsh Gupta. Much before the Lakshmipuram Police who had thrown a blanket of security around the Crawford Hall could heave a sigh of relief, BJP activists under the banner of BJP Yuva Morcha staged a protest against the federation. State BJP Yuva Morcha Vice-president Devanur Prathap, Bogadi Chandru were prominent among those  in the lead

Dalit leader murdered in Tilak Nagar

he state president of the Dalit Hindulaya Kriya Samithi was stabbed to death in Gulbarga Colony in Tilak Nagar at about 8.30 pm last night. S Manjunath (pictured), left home at about 7.30 pm after receiving a call to meet a friend. However, barely an hour later his body was found on the roadside a few metres from his home. 

Manjunath sustained a single stab injury to the upper left thigh, which has severed a major artery and led to death by profuse bleeding. Residents of Gulbarga Colony rushed him to NIMHANS by 9 pm, where he was declared dead. 

Manjunath's friends and family are clueless as to why anybody would want to harm him. Bodhiappa, Manjunath's uncle, said, "I don't know why anyone would want to take his life. He was a good man and did a lot to help people." 

Meanwhile, members of Manjunath's family have filed a complaint at Tilak Nagar police station. Harsha P S, DCP (South East), said, "We're awaiting the post-mortem report and cannot definitively comment until then. Since we've established that he had no real enemies, we are assuming that it is a case of murder due to a personal matter." Manjunath's body was taken to Victoria Hospital at about 2 am  for autopsy.

Retired Dalit officer’s car and furniture ‘cleansed’

The Kerala Human Rights Commission has registered a case and sought an explanation from the secretary, taxes department, after the office and car used by a Scheduled Caste state government officer was allegedly cleansed with cowdung after his retirement from service.

Former Inspector General of Registration A K Ramakrishnan, who retired on March 31, petitioned the rights panel, saying the “inhumane behaviour” had insulted him and all backward communities. The panel has sought a report by May 7.

Ramakrishnan said the incident took place on April 1, after the new IG assumed office. On the first day, a section of officials reportedly sprayed cowdung-mixed water on the office furniture, the threshold and the official vehicle. Ramakrishnan claimed that in order to refute allegations that this was done because he was a Dalit, cowdung-water was sprayed in the entire office the next day.

Ramakrishnan said a section of officials had borne a grudge against him since he took over five years ago, and cracked down on some of them. “That might have provoked a section in the office. On the day I retired, there had been celebrations by bursting crackers,” he said.

Calling it an insult to the SC community and a violation of their human rights, Ramakrishnan said if a senior officer could be treated like this, one could well imagine what officials at junior levels might be facing.

In a similar incident in November 2010, the chamber of the panchayat president at Elanthur had been found cleansed with cowdung-water after the president belonging to the SC community demitted office.

HC rejects bail pleas of lifers in Dalits’ murder

Bangalore, March 30, DHNS :

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday rejected the bail applications of 20 persons from Badanavalu near Mysore, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in a triple murder case.

On March 25, 1993, some Dalit residents of Badanavalu village were attacked by 23 people following a dispute over their entry into Siddappaji Temple. The 23 accused  were convicted of killing B R Narayanswamy, his son Madhukar, and their neighbour Nataraj. Three of the accused had died during trial and the sentencing was given by the lower court in November 2010. The Sixth Additional District and Sessions Court Judge L F Malavalli also sentenced them to three years’ rigorous imprisonment for causing grievous hurt under Section 326 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and one year for spreading hatred among the two communities, under Section 153 (A) of the IPC. Atrocity on children The Court disposed off the matter related to the poor implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, giving liberty to the petitioner to approach the local magistrate, if they knew of any incidents of ill treatment of children by the police. Ullas, a social worker had filed a petition seeking prevention of child abuse and strict implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act. He had submitted that not much was being done to check rampant atrocities against children, in spite of the provisions in the Act. The Division Bench comprising  Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice A S Bopanna gave the petitioner the liberty to conduct raids with the help of the Karnataka Legal Services Authority (KLSA) if he suspected any ill treatment of juvenile offenders. The KLSA was directed to provide a vehicle for such raids. The petitioner was further given the liberty of approaching the local magistrate if he came across any instance of harassment. The Magistrate was directed to lodge a complaint and inform the local Superintendent of Police or Director General of Police who would then have to take action. Intake to Tumkur varsity The High Court has disposed of the matter related to enhancement of intake to Tumkur University after the vice chancellor and registrar submitted an affidavit stating that the errors will be rectified. Earlier, in his affidavit filed before the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice A S Bopanna, V-C S C Sharma had apologised before the High Court for an ‘unintended’ error in enhancing the student intake for the year 2010-11. Devaraj had filed a PIL claiming that the decision of the varsity to increase the intake to 44 students from 34 was contrary to resolutions of the academic council, syndicate and provisions of the Karnataka State University Act and UGC norms. He had alleged that the intake was enhanced under pressure from various organisations. The Registrar apologised for the errors that had crept in fixing the intake.

29 children rescued from illegal confinement

Mangalore: A group of Dalits and Christians staged a protest against Women and Child Welfare Department in front of a hostel named balakara Mandira in Bondel here, on Wednesday. According to the protesters, 29 children aged between 6 and 15 were forcibly kept in illegal confinement for many days claiming their protection and education.

All the children including one girl identified as Chandana (11) were from different places of the State, including Tumkur, Halebid, Hassan and Chikmagalur. Seven of them were also from Patna in Bihar. All of them were brought to the hostel last Saturday after a raid carried out by a team led by Child Welfare Committee Chairperson Asha Nayak on a “congested” hall in Pakshikere near Haleyangady.

Asha Nayak claimed that the children along with around ten other people, including the family which looked after the children were kept in a hall, measuring around 250 sq. ft., which had only one bathroom and a toilet for all of them.

Nayak had said that while interrogating the man in charge of the so-called hostel, he said that they were brought here for education. When asked for documents showing parental consent for allowing the children to be under his care, or financial records, the man claimed that they were with the chartered accountant, she added.

On Tuesday, the department had asked the parents of all the children to be present at the remand home but did not hand over the children to them as they did not bring relevant documents to prove that they are indeed the parents.

Asha Nayak alleged that the Christian Guru K J Joy, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Joel and Jobi had kept the 29 children under illegal confinement. She claimed that the children were also being forced to convert their religion. Asha Nayaka asserted that Chandana had complained about Joy molesting her, which provoked the locals, who thrashed him. Later police took him into custody for interrogation.

However while confronting the media on Wednesday, the eleven year old girl changed her statement and asserted that she was neither molested nor was ill treated by Joy. She added that she was compelled to say such things against Joy.

Christian Federation of India, Dalita Sangharsha Samiti and KMN staged a demonstration for over an hour condemning the raid and demanding justice to Joy. A leader of Christian Federation of India, Prashant Jattan averred that the incident was a conspiracy against committed social workers. He stated that the girl has disclosed the truth and Joy has been proven innocent. DSS leader Keshav was also present.

K J Joy refused the allegations against him and his family and said that he was running just a children's hostel for children below the age of 15, so that he could provide them with education. He also claimed that he received financial support for the cause from foreign countries. However, he couldn't produce any documents to support his claims.

DSS leader’s death sparks protest

Bangalore, Bangalore, DHNS:

The area at and around Bommanahalli junction witnessed a few tensed moments when the Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) staged a snap stir demanding stern action against Madivala police station inspector Purushottam.

The sudden death of a DSS leader, Sampangi (52), allegedly due to suicide sparked off the protest. The protesters claimed that torture by police officer Purushottam forced Sampangi take the extreme step. He was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside the Ambedkar Samudaya Bhavan at Bommanahalli on Friday night. Things took a different turn after a suicide note was found in the Bhavan. Sampangi wrote: "Purushottam is a useless police officer. He is harassing and exploiting Dalits. He doesn't have respect for the Constitution of this country. Hence, dalits should be cautious about him." Sampangi's son Anand had recently eloped with Ramya, a relative of corporator Manjunath Reddy. Ramya's parents had lodged a complaint with Madivala police on March 10. The police registered a case and frequently summoned Sampangi to the station and allegedly harassed him. He decided to end his life as he was unable to bear the mental torture, alleged the protesters. DCP (South East) B N S Reddy said stern action will be taken against the guilty after an inquiry. The protest led to traffic jam in the area for some time.

Man kills self after alleged abuse by officials

BANGALORE: Tension prevailed at Bommanahalli, near Electronics City on Saturday morning after a 53-year-old man committed suicide alleging harassment by a local corporator and police officials.

The deceased, BT Sampangi, was found hanging from the ceiling of his office on Service Road, Bommanahalli, on Saturday morning. Members of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) blocked Hosur Road and demanded stern action against the accused policemen and the corporator.

Before police could reach the spot, the protesters recovered the suicide note in which Sampangi reportedly mentioned the name of a Madiwala police inspector, accusing him of torture. Police officials are investigating whether the suicide note was really written by Sampangi or not. "The protesters removed the suicide note and were distributing photocopies. So first, we have to look into the truth behind the suicide note," a senior police official said.

South East DCP BNS Reddy said that Ananth Kumar, Sampangi's younger son, had eloped with a minor girl on March 9. "A kidnap case was booked against Ananth Kumar on March 10 in Madiwala police station. Investigating officials used to interrogate Sampangi and his elder son on a daily basis," Reddy said.

Meanwhile, Sampangi was summoned to the station on Friday and questioned till late evening.

"A departmental enquiry will be conducted and if found guilty, legal action will be taken against the police official concerned and the corporator," he said.

According to police, Sampangi was depressed after his son eloped. Since he was a local DSS leader and active in social services, he felt humiliated.

Later, senior police officials including additional commissioner of police (law and order) Sunil Kumar rushed to the spot and pacified the agitators.

Dalits stage protest against boycott

http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/07/stories/2011040759190900.htm

Hassan: Dalits of Keregodu village in Arkalgud taluk staged a protest here on Wednesday alleging that they had been ostracised by caste Hindus of the village after Deepavali.
The protesters said the caste Hindus boycotted them after they refused to beat drums during the celebrations and later remove the corpse of cattle. Since then they have been barred from all social and cultural activities. Besides, the caste Hindus also imposed a fine of Rs. 501 on those who dare to speak to them.
During Ugadi celebrations, they were not allowed to enter inside the Basaveshwara temple. Also, the fair price shopkeeper denied ration for them. The Jati Dourjanya Virodhi Samiti, which led the protest, alleged that the Arakalgudu police also refused to register a complaint.
They submitted a memorandum to Additional Deputy Commissioner P. Subramanyam.

Bring transparency in Dalit welfare funds spending

BANGALORE: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday called upon his Cabinet colleagues to strive for the effective implementation of the programmes envisaged for the uplift of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities and directed them to initiate action against officials who fail to implement Dalit welfare programmes.
Inaugurating 104 {+t} {+h} birth anniversary of the former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagajivan Ram, Mr. Yeddyurappa regretted that funds earmarked for the welfare of Dalits were being misappropriated and asked Ministers to bring transparency in their spending.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the low utilisation of funds meant for SC and ST welfare by various departments, the Chief Minister said Ministers should ensure proper utilisation of funds released for the purpose.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said he had earmarked 22.75 per cent of the total outlay of Rs. 85,319-crore for betterment of Dalits in the 2011-12 budget and was planning to allocate more funds in the next budget.
Conferring awards on personalities including Bhimrao Ghasti, T. Kempa Hanumaiah, P.K. Kumaraiah, Maruthi Rao and Mavalli Shankar, who served for the cause of Dalits, he hoped that changes in the lives of Dalits would be visible before the Bharatiya Janata Party Government completes its five-year term.
Minister for Social Welfare A. Narayayaswamy regretted that that Dalits lacked guidance. Regretting the tendency among other communities to misuse reservation benefit by submitting fake caste certificates to claim the benefits being extended to SC and ST communities, Minister for Kannada and Culture Govind Karjol said that there was an urgent need to curb the tendency.

DSS convention

Bangalore: Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Ambedkar Vada) is celebrating the 184th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, the 19th Century reformer, with a State-level convention at Gulbarga on February 19 and 20. Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, DSS leader Mavalli Shankar said the convention, besides deliberating on the works of Phule and its relevance today, will also frame a blueprint for action against the “anti-people policies” of the State and Central governments.

Observations and recommendations of the team

The Dalits are being attacked by the dominant communities when they demand land and challenge social discrimination. The Government and local administration are culpable for their abject failure to protect the Dalits and punish the perpetrators; rather their inaction has emboldened the dominant communities to heighten the attacks. The Government has made no effort to guarantee employment and land for the Dalit community.

The team demanded that the Administration should start gruel centers at Budihalli, to prevent starvation of the Daliths. Jobs under NREGA scheme should be provided immediately. The Dalits should be given 2-5 acres of land per family. Perpetrators of the naked parade of the Dalit woman at Lakshmisagara should be arrested immediately. Witnesses in this crime should be protected under atrocities act and rioting case against Dalits at Lakshmisagara should be immediately withdrawn. The perpetrators of violence in the Renukapura incident should be immediately arrested.

Naked parade of Dalit woman in Lakshmisagara

Lakshmisagar is a village with 300 houses situated in Chitradurga taluk. The socially and politically strong Nayaka community resented it when a Nayaka girl Mamata eloped with a Dalit boy Kumara. A Dalit woman Bhagyamma was beaten up by Mamata’s family which accused her of having abetted the love affair. 

Bhagyamma told the team that her family was having morning tea around 8 am when 8-10 drunken youth entered the house, dragged her out, beating her all along and stripped her naked. She was so shocked that she defecated and wetted herself. Her husband Sakhanandappa was also not spared. She was dragged naked through the village to Panchayat office in the presence of the whole village and she was beaten with a rod, resulting in head injuries. While she was tormented, one Revanna Siddappa belonging to Nayaka community tried to protect her; he even tried twice or thrice to give her a sari - but every time the sari was torn off. This torture went on for about two hours. The police came and shifted her to hospital at Bhramarasagara, where she was treated. She was discharged after five days when her old mother took her to her village. 

Mamata’s father Chidannandappa and her brother Prakasha led the attack on Bhagyamma. Her tormentors included Vasantha (s/o Shivanna), Kumara (Muddeloganna), Prakasha (s/o Bhangira Obanna), Hanumantha (s/o Hullyappa), Prakasha (s/o Chidannandappa), Suresha (s/o Eshwarappa), Obanna (s/o Kuruvanoor Obanna), and Manjunatha (s/o Shivanna). 

The police instead of arresting the culprits caught the lovers and enquired about their elopement. Mamata boldly said that Bhagayamma has nothing to do with her love towards Kumara and that they had married of their own free will. Instead of booking cases against the tormentors police have booked a case (IPC 107) against Bhagayamma. On the day the team visited the village, we came to know that Vasantha has been arrested, kept in custody for a day and released on bail.

The team visited Sumitramma, mandal panchayat member belonging to the Dalit community and enquired about the incident. She was sympathetic towards Mamata’s father Chidannandappa and denied that Bhagyamma had been paraded naked, though she agreed that Bhagyamma should not have been beaten. She said that she has not witnessed an inter-caste marriage in the last 20 years that she had spent in the village since her marriage. She said that she herself would have slapped Bhagaymma and would have warned her to desist from indulging in such affairs! Asked if she had visited Bhagyamma, she said no. We told her that being a member of mandal panchayat she had to be more responsible and her role should have been that of defending the rights of women and fundamental rights rather than endorsing caste dictates.

Discrimination against Dalits in Budihalli

Budihalli is a tiny village in Chellakere taluk of Chitradurga  district of Karnataka. Of the total 120 houses, 30 belong to the Golla (BT) community, 60 to the Nayaka (ST) community and 30 to the dalit community. The Nayaka and Golla communities own substantial tracts of land (30 to 170 acres per house hold), while Dalits own very little land. Around ten households among the Dalits own up to 4 acres of land and the remaining 20 households are landless. Dalits work on the fields of landed gentry.  Dalit women get Rs 25-35 per day as wages while men are paid Rs 50 on an average. In spite of its ST status, the Nayaka community has evolved as a dominant one in Karnataka.

Caste discrimination against dalits is strong here. Dalit women are supposed to cover their heads and keep heads bent. The local hotel has a set of tumblers exclusively kept aside for this community. Dalits do not have their own place of worship. Bonded labor was alive till year 2000. Ever since Dalit women joined the SHGs (sanghas), harassment against them has intensified with taunts like, ‘How dare you people join the Sanghas? Madiga men and women should be kept in place! We will torch you and your house!’ 

The Madigas (Dalits) were given four houses under the Ashraya scheme, while the benefit of the Ambedkar scheme went to the Nayakas. Two water tanks have been built in the dalit locality, but due to resistance from the landed gentry water was not supplied, forcing them to depend for water on the tank in the ST community area. Many women have thatched roof houses, with no facility for bath and toilet.  Women dare to go to these tanks and bathe in the open only after dark. 

Apart from social and economical hardships women have been accused of stealing. In one instance of theft, Dalit boys were accused, tied to the trees and beaten. When women protested they were asked, “How come your sambar is tasty with red chilli powder and sambar powder? This must have been stolen goods!” 

Each hut is crowded with not less than five to seven inmates. Usually they put their mat outside in the open and sleep.  Some times when their husbands are away and in the dark nights men from other community just come and join the women on their mats. This kind of sexual exploitation is very common, and any resistance is met with threatens that houses will be torched. It is important to note that the very next day after the team left the village, two Dalit houses were torched (presumably a punishment for having talked to the team). 

In a recent incident on 22 December 2009, Dalits were beaten up when they harvested the jalimara (fire wood of wild shrubs) on Bagarhukum land. Subsequently, Dalits were booked for rioting. Since this incident, a social boycott against Dalits is in place (though all communities have denied it in the presence of administration). If anybody employs Madigas they are fined Rs 500. Since December Madigas are not called to work in the fields. Women, in tears as they spoke to the team, desperately wanted to work and earn wages to feed their starving families. They had demonstrated at Chitradurga in support of their demands for two days. Women desperately wanted a pucca house for dwelling , (so that it could not easily be torched), water for daily chores, bath rooms and  toilets in order to become independent of the ST and BT communities and escape daily humiliations.  

The Dalits pointed out that waste wood shrubs growing on about 150 acres Bagarhukum (gomala) land had been used by the landed gentry since long. Madigas have been demanding land and the administration had permitted them to occupy the same, but this is resented and resisted by feudal forces. Recently, about 4 acres of land has been earmarked for the Dalits, but the Administration is harassing them by asking for tax-paid receipts etc.  

The committee observed that the social structure of Budihalli is reminiscent of Khairlanji, where the so-called `ST’ Nayakas the `BT’ Gollas assert feudal dominance over Madigas.  

DSS takes out procession

Tumkur: Members of the Tumkur district unit of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS) took out a “drum beat protest procession” from the Town Hall to the Zilla Panchayat office on Thursday demanding action against the Block Education Officer for allegedly harassing the Head Master of the Government Higher Primary School here.

Charge

District president of DSS P.N. Ramaiah said that K.M. Narasimhamurthy, Head Master of the Government Higher Primary School at K.R. Extension, a Dalit, is being harassed allegedly by the Block Education Officer.

Mr. Ramaiah said that earlier some teachers in the school had provoked students by telling them that the assistant master Balachandra was transferred because of the head master.

The teachers also instigated the students to stage a protest against the head master, he added.

The students staged a protest during which windowpanes were damaged.

But this incident took place when the head master was on leave. When he returned to the school, he reported the incident to the Block Education Officer and recommended action against those who damaged the windowpanes, he said.

But the Block Education Officer instead of taking action against those who provoked the students, has held the head master responsible for the incident, he said.

Mr. Ramaiah urged the officials concerned to take action against the Block Education Officer. A memorandum was submitted to Deputy Secretary (Administration) of the Zilla Panchayat, Yalakkigowda.

Top cop accused of anti-dalit stand

T Narsipur, April 1, DHNS :

A meeting of dalit leaders and officers convened by Deputy Commissioner Harsh Gupta to restore peace in the clash-hit Algud village in the taluk on Friday, saw dalit leaders holding Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) P Venkataswamy responsible for the incident.

Dalit leaders blamed the top cop who also holds additional charge as SP. The leaders alleged that “the officer always filed a counter case whenever clashes erupted in the village. In Thursday’s incident too, the victims, dalits have been charged.” They demanded his transfer. They also raised slogans against the ASP who was present at the meeting. However, the officer refuted the charges and said that he had acted within the ambit of law. Earlier, the deputy commissioner informed the gathering that two separate cases have been registered. Eight people have been accused in the clash, and 37 for stoning the cops. The deputy commissioner, along with IGP (Southern range),  Amar Kumar Pandey inspected the houses that were damaged in the clash. A total of 24 houses have been damaged in the clash that triggered off when a dalit youth abused Nayaka community people during Mariyamma Jatre on Thursday. Two persons who suffered injuries in the incident are undergoing treatment at K R Hospital, while another two are admitted at T Narsipur Government Hospital.

10 injured in Dalit-Nayaka clash

Mysore, March 31, DHNS :

As many as 10 people including cops suffered injuries in a group clash between two communities at Algud in T Narsipura taluk in the district on Thursday.

The trouble began around 5 pm, when a dalit youth allegedly in an inebriated condition came near Maramma Temple in the village. The village was in a festive mood with Deviyamma Jathre and bullock cart race was on. The youth was reportedly wearing footwear and abused people belonging to Nayaka community. This triggered the clash, with the Nayaka people chasing the youth to his house. The mob barged into the youth’s house, ransacked the property and assaulted him. They also set the house on afire, besides a tractor and an autorickshaw parked outside. The T Narsipur Police who had by then arrived at the village lathi charged the mob.  But the mob didn’t relent, instead started pelting stones at the cops injuring In-charge Inspector Ashok Kumar, a few constables and also three citizens. The injured have been rushed to K R Hospital in Mysore for treatment. The situation came under control when the prominent leaders of both the communities called for peace. However, as a precautionary measure extra forces have been summoned with District Armed Reserve (DAR) and Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) personnel deputed at the village. The village has a large population of Nayaka community with about 2,500 members, with SC totalling about 100. However, no arrests have been made so far and the youth, the cause behind the whole incident is yet to be identified, said a police.

Push Comes To...

A Neeli Sene to take on the swayamsevaks

SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU

Blue Steel

• Dalits in Karnataka have raised a ‘self-defence, peace-keeping force’
• The force called the Neeli Sene (Blue Army) will be a counter to the RSS
• The first batch of 50 volunteers have been trained in Belgaum
• By 2010-end, the Sene hopes to have 3,000 volunteers across the state

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The Dalits in Karnataka are raising a ‘Neeli Sene’ (Blue Army). It’s said to be a “self-defence” force for “peace-keeping” and they say the ‘blue’ is not to be mistaken with that of the bsp’s ujala colours but as denoting the even and azure expanse of the sky. The they, incidentally, is the Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (Bheemvaad), for decades now an organisation representing the socio-economic interests of the Dalit community. The first unit of the Blue Army was inaugurated in Bangalore on January 26, fifty young men from Belgaum dressed in blue uniforms and navy blue berets alighting at the city railway station and marching smartly across the city’s main thoroughfares.

That said, there’s no discounting the Sene’s raison d’etre. According to DSS state convenor Mohan Raj, the Blue Army was raised specifically to counter the growing clout of the RSS in the state. “We feel that communal forces have been strengthened after the bjp came to power. The RSS and other parivar organisations have a free run now. We would normally expect the police to protect the Dalits, backward classes and minorities, but now that does not seem to be happening,” he says.

The idea of the Sene first came up at a September 2007 meeting of the DSS state committee in Raibag, Belgaum. The members during the course of the meeting argued that if the RSS could march on the streets with ‘lathis’, why shouldn’t they be raising a force that protects the spirit of the Constitution and the privileges guaranteed therein. They were also deeply concerned about Dalit youth in rural areas being misled and becoming insensitive to the needs of the community.

The DSS has been putting in a lot of effort to train their Blue Army. Damodar Gasti, formerly of the Mahar Regiment, oversaw the training of the first batch of 50 volunteers in Belgaum. Training starts early at 5 am in the morning at the Shahu Maharaj Palace grounds. The palace grounds hold special significance because Shahu Maharaj was apparently the first to introduce reservations for backward communities, as early as 1902. These men also attended an ideological camp every fortnight where they read and discussed Ambedkar and Jyotiba Phule. The first 50 men were chosen from more than a hundred volunteers. The DSS insisted that those chosen at least be matriculates and over 18. A second unit is to be inaugurated in the RSS hotbed of Udupi on February 28. By the end of the year, they plan to have about 3,000 volunteers in the Blue Army in most districts of the state.

All this effort, of course, has not gone down well with the home department. When contacted, Karnataka home minister Dr V.S. Acharya, himself an RSS swayamsevak had this to say about the new Sene: “The RSS is a nationalist organisation. It is not against anybody. I do not know what threat the Dalits face in Karnataka. There are no problems here, Karnataka is a law-abiding state. Nobody has any need to worry.” Madara Swamiji, pontiff of the ‘untouchable’ Madiga seminary in Chitradurga, though, begs to differ. “In principle, I endorse the DSS move to raise a self-protection force. In fact, our own math is training small batches of youth in communally sensitive villages to protect our people. The state police are not in favour of the Dalits, they are dependent on the government for promotions and medals.”

Cases of untouchability on the rise, says Karnataka DSS

Members of the Dalit Sangarsha Samithi (DSS) district unit staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Thursday demanding an inquiry into reports that untouchability was being practised in different parts of the district, and the increasing cases of atrocities on Dalits in the State.

BELGAUM: Members of the Dalit Sangarsha Samithi (DSS) district unit staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Thursday demanding an inquiry into reports that untouchability was being practised in different parts of the district, and the increasing cases of atrocities on Dalits in the State.

The protesters from different parts of the district took out a procession through the main roads of the city and shouted slogans against untouchability and in favour of social justice. The samithi's State convener Raju M. Talwar and district convener Gajanan Gunjeri led the protesters.

They submitted a memorandum to the Government in which they said the atrocities on Dalits had increased. Inequality was also aggravating with each passing day and Dalits, minorities and the backward classes continued to be exploited, they added. Incidents of desecration of the statues of B.R. Ambedkar occurred frequently in different parts of the State, they said.

Though Dalit colonies lacked civic amenities, they were replete with liquor shops, the protesters said.

The samithi submitted a list of eight demands to the Government, including the arrest of all those behind the violence against Dalits at Yanagunti and Soudappanahalli in Bangalore Rural district, adequate compensation to the affected families, arrest of those who desecrated the statue of Dr. Ambedkar at Bilagi in Bagalkot district and closure of all liquor shops in Dalit colonies.

The other demands are providing scholarships to Dalit students regularly, ordering an inquiry by the CoD into the alleged irregularities in the Raibag Taluk Panchayat and taking up welfare schemes for workers in the powerloom sector.