09.03.2024.INDIAN UNTOUCHABLES.NEWS.by Sivaji.ceo.chennai.26.
Pinal, daughter of the village of this tribal area of Rajasthan, dreamed of becoming the first woman doctor in the village.
Pinal Panwar, a daughter of Beda village with a population of about fifteen thousand, which is considered the gateway to the tribal area deprived of education and health in terms of education and health, about twenty kilometers away from Shivganj city of Sirohi district in Rajasthan, fulfilled her dream of becoming the first woman doctor. Have made your family proud.
Beda village where there is lack of other basic facilities including education and health. This is an area from where the tribal zone begins. No major achievement has been achieved yet in the field of education in the village. Seeing the common people suffering due to lack of health services in the village and surrounding areas, Pinal Panwar, a daughter of the village, decided to become a doctor and started working hard to fulfill that dream.
Although Pinal faced difficulty in fulfilling his dream due to lack of good study environment in the area, but his family fully supported him in fulfilling his dream. Pinal’s father Mahendra Singh Panwar, who is a pharmacist, her grandfather former Sarpanch Arjun Singh and mother Sangeeta Panwar, her brother Pinkal Singh Panwar and sister Isha Rathore provided full support to her in fulfilling her dream. The result of this is that this daughter of the village has fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor by doing MBBS.
Seeing the villagers worried about health services, decided to become a doctor.
Pinal received his schooling while staying in his maternal home in Mumbai. After this, to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, she came to Rajasthan and started preparing for NEET. After getting success in that, he completed MBBS from Udaipur Medical College in 2019. People suffer due to lack of health services in and around the village. It was after seeing him that he decided to serve the village by becoming a doctor and today, after obtaining MBBS degree, there is a different feeling of peace. His dream is to create health awareness and serve the patients in the villages and surrounding areas deprived of health services.
No shortcut to success
Pinel says to today’s youth that it is necessary to dream to move ahead, only if you dream you will move ahead. If you have the passion to do something, success is within your reach even in adverse circumstances. For this, the youth should dream and work hard to fulfill it. There is no shortcut to success, hard work is necessary for it. One day you will definitely get success.
Families should encourage their daughters so that they can move ahead.
Dr. Pinal now wants to work for the health of children in the village by doing PG in Pediatrics. Dr. Pinal says that “Behind the success of every girl is the dedication of her family members especially. Her family has helped her in the right direction. She urges all the families of daughters to take care of their daughters. Trust and encourage them to study, so that they can become independent and contribute to the progress of the village and the future of the country can be bright.
Courtesy: Hindi News
Accused of raping a minor arrested: Had kept tribal girl as his daughter, sent to jail
Anuppur. The police has arrested the accused who was absconding after raping a 10-year-old minor. 50 year old Lalit Dubey was caught by Kotwali police near Sandha Tirahe. The accused was planning to go somewhere out of Anuppur. A reward of Rs 10,000 was announced by the Superintendent of Police for the arrest of the accused. After medical examination on Friday, the accused was produced in the court from where he was sent to jail.
Let us tell you that on March 5, a 10-year-old minor along with his mother had lodged a report in the police station Kotwali that Lalit Dubey, an acquaintance who works in social work, used to visit the house. By whom a wrong deed was done after finding the minor girl alone.
Lalit Dubey, the bearer of leftist ideology, living in Anuppur, describes himself as a social worker, short film maker and storyteller. Along with being a journalist, the accused was also a member of the Juvenile Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for the last 3 years and had also held the post of consultant in the Jan Abhiyan Parishad. Not only this, Public Health Ganiyari Chhattisgarh. Coordinator of Phulwari Scheme in Rajendragram for 2 years, Secretary of NGO Dear India Social Society and currently Joint Secretary of Progressive Writers Association Anuppur (Praless).
According to the information, Lalit Dubey had made the victim his daughter by giving her a coconut as per the tradition of the tribal society. Raped her. Now the story of Lalit Dubey has started emerging layer by layer. Lalit Dubey, a native of Barhi area of Katni district, who pretends to live a high profile life by wearing the cloak of a social worker, was an employee of NRLM in Shahdol district about 15 years ago. Where a similar allegation was made against him. To get rid of this, he had to resign from his government job and flee from Anuppur district.
After running away from Shahdol district, he came to Anuppur district and somehow due to his high reach, he first joined the Jan Abhiyan Parishad and later left it and became a member of the Juvenile Welfare Board. If sources are to be believed, Lalit Dubey had been making inroads among the prominent people in Anuppur for about 10-12 years.
MADHYA PRADESH NEWS STATE TRIBAL
Police committed hooliganism with tribal women, extorted thousands of rupees by threatening them, then pulled their hair and beat them
If someone commits extortion, the police will save him. If the policemen start extorting money then who will save them? A similar case has come to light in Baya police post adjacent to SAIL. Here the policemen extorted Rs 15,000 each from two tribal women by threatening to implicate them in a false liquor case. Two videos related to this quickly went viral on social media. The news spread like wildfire. Higher officials of the department have taken cognizance of the matter.
According to the information received, a video regarding the matter has gone viral on social media. In this, tribal woman Sushila Bariha is telling that the police raided her house on Wednesday morning. Head constable Awasthi and constable Kashyap searched his house and that of a woman. Then the female constable pulled her hair and took her to the police station. Here a demand of Rs 30,000 was made, saying that he was implicating him in the case of selling liquor. He told that somehow he convinced the police for Rs 15,000.
Similarly, the second video went viral from Kurkuti village. In this, tribal youth Shakarlal Bariha is telling that two policemen entered his house. Started searching. After this the wife was picked up and taken to the police station. At the post, he was implicated in the case of selling Mahua liquor and threatened to be sent to jail and 15 jars were recovered.
Rape incident again puts Jharkhand to shame, three youths brutalize tribal woman in Sahibganj
Sahibganj: Rape incidents are not stopping in Jharkhand. The case of gang rape of a foreign woman in Dumka and of an orchestra artist from Chhattisgarh in Palamu has not calmed down yet again a case of gang rape has come to light from Sahibganj. Where a middle-aged tribal woman returning after selling goods from the fair was raped by three youths. The incident took place late Thursday night in Boria police station area.
According to the information received, late on Thursday evening a 45-year-old tribal woman had gone to sell liquor at the football tournament fair organized in Mangrutikar. After the fair, at night the woman was returning to her home via Bahiyar with three youths from the same village. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the darkness, three youths forced themselves on the woman and ran away.
All three accused arrested
After the incident, the victim reached Borio police station on Friday morning and informed the police about the matter. As soon as information about the incident was received, police station in-charge trainee DSP Rupak Kumar Singh formed a team and started action and arrested three accused. In-charge trainee DSP Rupak Kumar Singh said that on the written application of the victim, case number 21/24 has been registered and three accused Buddhinath Murmu, Suresh Hembram, Babu alias Parata Tudu have been arrested and sent to jail in judicial custody. The victim has been sent for medical examination. The case is being investigated. Let us tell you that this is the third incident of gang rape in the last few days, which has put Jharkhand to shame.
Courtesy : Etv Bharat
International Women’s Day: Meet Dr Ambedkar’s ‘Lioness’ Who — Defying All Odds — is Making a Difference
She is influencing downtrodden to assert their caste identity instead of being apologetic about it and making them aware of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Tarique Anwar
New Delhi: The debate on caste is witnessing a significant shift: it’s moving to streets and social media from TV studios and political meetings. Some common girls are flaunting their ethnic identity, their political understanding and pride on it on Instagram. Their objective is the same but the outline of their dream nation is different.
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, let’s meet one such influencer, Simi Milind Jadhav, who — defying all stereotypes — is making reels to proudly assert her ethnic identity on Instagram, challenging alleged domination of ‘upper castes’ in all social spaces.
Her caste identity is in some ways deeper than her religious belief. It is so deep that the girl, who is generally considered beyond politics, is coming forward to promote it through social media.
Dressed in white-blue check shirt and blue slim fit jeans with a blue turban on her, the Mumbai-based young girl in one of her Instagram reels can be seen shaking her legs on a song of resistance — ‘woh din phir se aa gaya hai, jab hum neela kafan baandh kar nikle hain…(the day has come again when we set out, wearing a blue shroud…).
Blue has emerged as the colour of Dalit resistance. The idea behind it is that blue is the colour of sky — under which there is non-discrimination and everyone is believed to be equal.
The video is marking the bicentenary celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon war in a remote village in Maharashtra in 2018.
“I make videos to make my fellow community members aware of the teachings of our icon, Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” she told The Mooknayak.
With 67,000 followers, her profile name is bhimachi_sherni (lioness of Dr Ambedkar).
“I consider Baba Saheb like a father and that is why I am my father’s lioness. I tell people that they may be strong and belong to ‘upper castes’, but they cannot compete with us,” said the confident Jadhav with strong conviction.
She claims herself to be a “protector” of the Constitution — which negates discrimination based on caste, creed and religion and gives all citizens of the country equal rights.
“I tell people through my videos that the Constitution gives equal rights to all. That is why we have to protect and follow it,” she said.
As a girl belonging to a conservative family with a humble background, her journey to emerge as a social media influencer was not easy.
“My family didn’t know that I made videos. Initially, I did this quietly. When my following increased and they came to know about it, I was scolded and faced resistance. But gradually, I overcame the obstacle — politely explaining to them what I do and what my intentions are,” she narrated.
Jadhav said the contents of social media on Dr Ambedkar inspired her to read books and literature about him. The challenges he faced and his personal struggles drove her to do her bit.
“Now, we discuss him on various online platforms to remove people’s misconceptions about Dalit identity and the challenges it faces,” she said.
Applying eyeliner and then wearing a blue turban and sterling nose pin with pearls embellished delicate floral shape, she got ready for her next shoot.
“I want to give this message to our society that we should tell our children about the Constitution so that they become aware of their reality and rights from childhood. They will learn to question. As long as children do not ask questions, they will continue to remain slaves,” she said.
Asked about the 2023’s ‘India’ versus ‘Bharat’ flutter, the topic of her next video — which she was preparing to record, she said, “India should be known as India only. This diverse and beautiful nation should not be re-named based on any race, belief and ideology.”
Asked about the clamour for ‘Hindu Rashtra’ (a Hindu nation), she said it’s a “conspiracy” against Dalits more than anyone else.
“It’s aimed at promoting majoritarianism and pulling the community — which is progressing and reaching to level 1-2 — back to the age when there was extreme poverty and discrimination was at its peak,” she said.
It’s a concerted effort — according to her — to abolish reservation to deny the marginalised access to education and government jobs.
Asked if she must be facing online trolling; and if so, how does she respond to the abusers, she said it does not upset her anymore and she was well-aware of it even before coming up with the idea to make reels, asserting her caste identity.
“I never respond to the abusers as they don’t deserve my precious time. But I reply to people who argue with me with decency even though they accuse me of promoting my caste thereby polluting the society with the evil of casteism. I reason with them that promoting my caste is not a crime, and caste is a reality of the society that cannot be avoided,” she said.
“I tell them”, she continued, that “yes, I am doing it. I am talking about my caste. I want to create and not become one. And I am unapologetic about it”.
She said caste is so ingrained in the society that even those who negate it get hurt when a woman speaks against some wrong about their icons and leave no stone unturned to outrage her modesty online or offline. Truth is always suppressed.
“Sometimes, I feel scared but not always. One should keep it in mind that if we are saying something, we should also develop the habit of tolerating criticism and abuse even though the latter is unacceptable in a civilised society,” she added.
Courtesy : The Mooknayak
Meet Priyanka Sonkar-The Author Whose Book Shares Stories of Unknown Dalit Women Writers to the World
Invoking Chinua Achebe’s famous lines “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter,” Sonkar says that Dalit women will have to speak themselves about their trauma, or else the story of their struggle will slip into oblivion.
Pratikshit Singh
Lucknow- Amidst the complex web of societal narratives, the voices and experiences of Dalit women often linger in the shadows, marginalized by dominant discourses.
The rise of the Dalit movement has cast a spotlight on the issues of Dalit women, who have had to bear a two-pronged attack – patriarchy and caste. The most highlighted cases of Dalit atrocities also often are the cases where women have been violated with impunity.
Be it the Hathras case, the Khairlanji case, or the numerous cases where Dalit women were paraded naked. Within this obscured landscape, individuals like Priyanka Sonkar, Assistant Professor in the Hindi Department at Benaras Hindu University, emerge as beacons of light, illuminating the untold stories of resilience and resistance.
Sonkar’s seminal work, “Dalit Stree Vimarsh: Srijan aur Sangharsh,” serves as a cornerstone in this endeavor, offering a profound exploration of the creative endeavors and struggles of Dalit women.
Through her meticulous research and insightful analysis, Sonkar unveils the rich tapestry of Dalit women’s contributions to society, challenging prevalent narratives and amplifying voices long silenced by oppression.
As we embark on this exploration, we peel back the layers of oppression to reveal the indomitable spirit of Dalit women, forging paths of empowerment amidst the intersections of patriarchy and caste.
In an exclusive interview with The Mooknayak, Sonkar speaks about her book, which has woven the thread around Dalit women and their contribution.
Sonkar, who belongs to Mau district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, says that Lord Buddha had admitted a woman named Sumangala in his Sangha, who belonged to a lower strata whereas in other religions, women were barred from participating in religious rituals at par with men. Then in the middle ages, you have examples of many women continuing up to recent times. She says that mainstream feminist authors have not given space to the narrative of Dalit women.
Invoking Chinua Achebe’s famous lines “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter,” she says that Dalit women will have to speak themselves about their trauma, or else the story of their struggle will slip into oblivion. She says that the oral history of Dalit women has been suppressed.
Talking about the women disciples, she says that people have heard about Meera Bai, but they don’t know about Jana Bai, who was born around the same time and belonged to the Matang caste. She was a disciple of Sant Namdev, who belonged to Maharashtra and through the medium of bhakti, she attacked the caste system. Then in Bengal, we have Rami Chandi, who rebelled against the caste system.
Citing the example of the Great Indian Rebellion of 1857, she points out that people only know the contribution of Rani Laxmi Bai, while the valor of Jhalkari Bai and Uda Devi Pasi is ignored.
Her book also mentions Mukta Bai, the author of an essay “Maang Maharachya Dukhavisayi” (About the grief of the Mangs and the Mahars), she wrote in 1855. It is probably the oldest surviving piece of writing by an untouchable woman.
Pandita Ramabai, a Chitpavan Brahmin also finds mention in her book as she married outside her caste, much like Sonkar, who herself pushed the envelope and married outside her caste.
The title of the book is “Dalit Stree Vimarsh: Shrijan aur Shangharsh,” the word “srijan” means creation and is related to the literary work done by the Dalit women, so Priyanka talks about Sushila Takbhoure, Kaushal Pawar, Vimla Throat etc. and in doing so Priyanka herself has joined the list of such women.
The Struggles of Dalit Woman
Rebellion Against the Impunity of Caste The last chapter of the book speaks about the “Sangharsh,” i.e. the struggle of the Dalit Women. While the women belonging to the upper-castes had to struggle to get education, the women belonging to the untouchables had to fight for their basic human rights like the women in Kerala, who fought for the right to wear upper-body clothes covering their breasts in the famous Battle of Channar.
The book also has references to struggles of other downtrodden sections of the society, like that of the tribals. Mathura Adivasi, an underage tribal girl was raped by two policemen in 1972. The outcry against the acquittal of the accused in the case by the Supreme Court led to amendments in the Indian rape law with The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1983. The most shocking part of the case was that the Judge observed “Because she was used to sex, she might have incited the cops to have intercourse with her”.
Phoolan Devi had to go through a similar ordeal but avenged her humiliation finds a chapter dedicated to herself in the same book, despite the fact that she was not a Dalit.
Black Feminism
Inspiration across the Seven Seas Over the course of history, the Dalit movement has taken inspiration from their black counterparts in the US. The prominent flag bearers against racism have been black women like Rosa Parks. In recent times, women like Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg have emerged as role models for the entire black community and therefore the book has significant references to Black Feminism.
Education and Mobility: A Weapon Against Superstition Priyanka says that the reason for the sustenance of superstition among the Dalit women is because of the imposition of Brahminism from the upper-sections of the society. The JNU alumni says that had she not moved outside of her home to institutes like BHU and JNU she would have not known Ambedkar and Ambedkarism so well and would have also remained superstitious.
Courtesy : The Mooknayak
Dalit teacher pulled out of class by hair, used caste related words, case registered against principal
Police said, ‘A computer teacher of Jayaprakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Mussoorie was allegedly beaten by the school principal for refusing to take classes of other subjects.’ A complaint was given to the police by Anshika, a Dalit teacher resident of Nigravathi village. According to him, on March 4, the school principal Poonam Kushwaha asked him to teach other subjects instead of teaching the subject of computers.
Anshika told the police that she complained about this to a higher authority, who also instructed her not to teach any subject other than computers. Anshika alleged that later when she went back to work on the computer, the principal reached there and started beating her by holding her hair.
He told that the Principal also used caste based words for Anshika. A video of this incident has also been shared on social media. Mussoorie Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) Naresh Kumar said that on the complaint of the victim, an FIR has been registered under sections 323 (intentionally causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Caste and Tribe Prevention Act and the matter is being investigated. Has been.
Courtesy: News18
Caste-murder bid: Man tries to run over Dalit son-in-law in Erode, minor sister dies
Locals took them to a private hospital in Sathyamangalam. Harini succumbed to her head injuries that evening.
P Srinivasan
ERODE : In yet another caste-related crime targeting Scheduled Caste individuals, a caste Hindu man allegedly tried to kill a 24-year-old Dalit youth who married his daughter, by ramming the youth’s bike with his truck near Bhavanisagar on Wednesday morning.
The youth’s 16-year-old sister, a class X student who was riding pillion, died in the incident, and the youth has been admitted to a hospital. Erode district police are looking for the caste Hindu and his wife who are absconding. The deceased has been identified as J Harini.
According to police, J Subash, a Dalit living in Guruvayurappan Nagar near Erankattur in Bhavanisagar, operates an ambulance service. He had been in a relationship with Manju, a caste Hindu girl from Gandhi Nagar, Sathyamangalam. But her parents Chandran and Chitra did not approve of it. On October 7, 2023, Subash married Manju, after she exited her home.
Chandran, who had been looking for his daughter since then, came to know about the marriage a week ago and was upset. Police said Chandran monitored Subash’s activities for the last few days. “On Wednesday, Subash was taking his sister Harini to school on a bike. When they were near Nesavalar Colony on Mettupalayam – Sathyamangalam road, a truck knocked them down from behind. Subash and Harini fell down and suffered serious injuries. Locals took them to a private hospital in Sathyamangalam. Harini succumbed to her head injuries that evening,” Police added.
“The truck that caused the accident sped away. Based on statements from Subash and some others, stating that Chandran was driving the vehicle along with his wife, we filed a case against them under Section 302 IPC and SC/ST Act.” Bhavanisagar police said.
“Chandran belongs to Kongu Vellalar community and the family did not accept their daughter’s marriage,” a police officer said.
Speaking to TNIE, Bhavanisagar MLA A Bannari said, “It is sad that such incidents are happening in developed states like Tamil Nadu. Police should take strict action in the matter.” Sathyamangalam DSP M Saravanan said four special teams have been formed to arrest the couple.
Courtesy : TNIE
The Dalit Person in Mainstream Indian Cinema
Upper caste saviour complex rules what scant representation of Dalit people there is in blockbusters today.
Vaibhav Wankhede
“Eres hindú, ¿verdad? ¿Te gustan las películas de baile?” I was asked by one of my Latino friends.
‘You are Hindu, right? So you like movies with song and dance?’
I always take pain explaining to my foreign friends that not all Indians are Hindu. And while Indian cinema is famous for song and dance, it deserves to be much more than that.
They say cinema is the mirror of society. But in my opinion, cinema should not be just a mirror, but a prism. It should refract societal issues, reveal hidden facets, amplify injustices, and challenge our comfort with narratives.
But we have a long way to go. As someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time watching films, I have been concerned about Dalit depiction in Indian cinema.
Dalit representation when it comes to mainstream celluloid is scant, and even the little we see is often lost in establishing a popular narrative. I would characterise the portrayal of Dalit suffering as Dalit porn – it does not do justice to Dalit experiences.
Either it is the heroism of the main character with a superficial understanding of caste politics (as we have seen in Suriya’s Jai Bhim) or a depiction of caste-based poverty and helplessness. Even the recent Marathi film, Satyashodhak, based on Mahatma Phule carefully shows oppressor caste characters as bad apples rather than being critical of the dominant Brahmanical system which denies basic human rights to a large section of people. And there’s the perpetuation of the ‘white saviour complex’ in Bollywood movies like Article 15, where an upper caste cop saves Dalits but doesn’t even talk of dismantling existing caste structures by conveniently and unironically saying that “he doesn’t believe in caste.” This is the exact reason we need more Dalit voices in Indian cinema to craft an alternate depiction of Bahujans.
Let’s take the examples of Mani Ratnam’s Naayagan and Pa. Ranjith’s Kaala. The two have a striking similarity – both are set in Dharavi and are about the rise of the vigilante gangster. What sets them apart is that Kamal’s character in Naayagan belongs to the relatively well-off Nayakkar caste. He shields the Bahujan slum dwellers and rises up to become their saviour. The oppressor caste’s gaze and its messiah complex is not lost here. On the other hand, Rajanikanth in Kaala holds his meetings in front of the Buddha Vihar. He is an anti-hero who is relatable on all fronts to those around him. Both movies have an interesting choice of colours as well – Kamal wears white when he rises to the top, while in Kaala the protagonist wears black, which is a searing commentary on the all-white Brahminesque clothing. This is not a critique of either films, but just an observation on how caste narratives are illustrated from the filmmaker’s outlook.
A still from Kaala.
The parallel cinema movement of the 70s and 80s which was critical in giving voice to marginalised narratives has now been wiped out by tentpole blockbusters and mid-scale movies offering escapism, continuing to perpetuate dominant narratives. This creates a skewed lens where the same-ness of it all overlooks the lived experiences and challenges faced by many. So yes, while there have been progressive and sometimes, LGBTQ-themed, films in the mainstream, ask yourself what the surname of the characters in those films were.
Representation of caste in mainstream films suffers from a lack of attention. It is merely a collection of what filmmakers think we do, what they think we eat or how we dress. All of this is presented, many times, without research or involvement of a Dalit-Bahujan-Adivasi person in the decision-making process.
From Namdev Dhasal to Sheetal Sathe to The Casteless Collective, Dalit artistes have always used performing arts in their protests, stories, folk tales and assertion. So it is rather worrying to see why we can’t get a DBA actress to portray a person from a marginalised caste in the series, Made in Heaven. I would argue that even the Buddhist marriage sequence in it comes from an inauthentic point – thanks to the sheer Bali-fication and exoticisation of it.
Not just that, even a skilled filmmaker like Jabbar Patel’s films have shown the oppressed class, but even those roles were played by the actors from the oppressor caste. Cinema should be social commentary, it must critique power structures, question cultural norms, and hold a mirror to the darkest corners of our collective conscience.
Here, it is pertinent to mention that India is home to many languages and dialects. But as we are growing closer, we are losing touch with our dialects. A dialect or vocabulary is a gateway into a community’s distinct culture. Each lost language carries a universe of stories, emotions, and perspectives. Cinema, with its powerful reach, can bridge that gap.
As someone who has worked in the film industry for years, I know that traditional Punjabi-Sindhi families have a grip over Bollywood while the Telugu film industry is ruled by the dominant Kapu-Kamma castes. This caste based hegemony is what is churning out template products for the celluloid.
I mean, when was the last time you saw an assertive, white-collar Dalit character in a mainstream Bollywood romance?
Don’t force fit it, either.
What we need is a subversion of stereotypical portrayals and reimagining the perspectives on the experiences of marginalised groups. Today, Indian films have also become a propaganda tool. But we should not forget the power of cinema. The lens of the filmmaker acts as a magnifying glass, and it should focus on societal anxieties, hopes, and unspoken desires, offering catharsis and sparking critical introspection. Cinema is a convtion starter, a bridge between cultures, and a platform for marginalised voices. It’s about time mainstream Indian cinema reflects the complexities of society, prompting empathy, understanding, and ultimately, progress.
Vaibhav Wankhede is a writer who works in creative marketing.
Brutal Abduction and Murder of 9-year-old Dalit Girl in Puducherry Leads to Protests
In a heart-wrenching incident, a vibrant young life was tragically cut short in Puducherry. An innocent nine-year-old girl who went missing on March 2 met a terrible fate and was found lifeless in a drain near her home in Muthialpet a few days later. The community was in utter disbelief and outrage as the news […]
Edited By: Lavanya R
In a heart-wrenching incident, a vibrant young life was tragically cut short in Puducherry. An innocent nine-year-old girl who went missing on March 2 met a terrible fate and was found lifeless in a drain near her home in Muthialpet a few days later. The community was in utter disbelief and outrage as the news of his brutal murder spread like wildfire.
Two suspected persons have been arrested in the case of kidnapping, raping and brutally killing a nine-year-old Dalit girl. According to the information given by the police, the authorities have been arrested two men, Vivekandan (56) and Kaka (alias) Karunas (19), in connection with the murder of the girl, and have launched an operation.
The horrifying discovery of a young child’s remains shook the community to its core. Despite securing CCTV footage from the locality, the Muthialpet police found no evidence of her leaving the area.
On March 5, the child was found partially decomposed in a nearby drain, 72 hours after the complaint was filed, shedding light on her gruesome murder. The child’s body, wrapped in a bedsheet-like material and with her hands and legs tied using a coir thread, was found by neighbors and police just meters away from her house.
A special investigation team, supervised by Puducherry DIGP Brijendra Kumar Yadav and headed by Senior Superintendent of Police Kalaivanan, has been formed in response to the incident.
A Special Investigation Team has been formed under the leadership of Puducherry DIGP Brijendra Kumar Yadav.
Two persons have been arrested by the authorities and are facing charges under IPC sections 302 (murder), 363 (kidnapping), 342 (wrongful restraint), and 201 (destruction of evidence). Also, relevant sections of POCSO Act and Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act (PoA) have been implemented.
The discovery of his body sparked widespread protests in Puducherry, with demands for chief minister N Rangaswamy to step down. Initially, the parents refused to accept their child’s body until the suspects were arrested. A post-mortem was conducted at the Jawaharlal Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (JIPMAR). The last rites of the girl were held on March 7 at 9:00 am under police protection.
On Thursday, hundreds of people participated in the funeral procession of a nine-year-old girl who was murdered and allegedly sexually assaulted in Puducherry. Police stated that the body of the Class 5 student, who disappeared on Saturday evening, was discovered on Wednesday inside a sack dumped in a drain.
Her hands and legs were discovered bound with rope, as confirmed by authorities. Police have filed a case of murder and sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act.
Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangaswamy and Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan visited the family of the girl, extending condolences and announcing a compensation of ₹20 lakh.
Ms Soundararajan affirmed that the case would be expedited through a special fast-track court, ensuring that the culprits face the maximum penalty. “A fast-track special court will be promptly established. While we cannot take the law into our own hands, I stand in solidarity with the victim’s family emotionally,” she stated.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed deep shock at the brutality suffered by the nine-year-old girl in Puducherry. He emphasized that the safety and respect of women are integral to a developed nation’s identity.
Various political leaders, including Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder Vijay, DMK MP Kanimozhi, and Actor and Maiam founder Kamal Hassan, have also voiced criticism of the heinous crime.
Courtesy : Newsx
Caste Crimes Continue Against Women
Lucknow Gup on International Women’s Day
By MEHRU JAFFER
I wonder what the International Women’s Day on March 8 means for the 17-year-old Dalit girl from the historic city of Hathras in Uttar Pradesh
(UP) who was reportedly gang raped last Sunday. Probably not much till the vast majority of Dalit women remain impoverished, and without access to basic resources.
Most Dalit women in rural areas of UP work as landless daily wage labourers. They have few options of becoming economically independent in a caste ridden patriarchal society
The teenager was allegedly raped by two men as she returned home after having made some money at a local wedding.
According to the police the latest victim of the rage of the patriarch is a resident of Aligarh district. To make ends meet, the girl had found work at a local wedding. Her job was to greet guests by showering flowers on them.
On the night of March 2, her work finished around midnight after which she left the venue of the wedding at a guest house in Hathras. On her way home two men from the wedding offered her a ride to Aligarh some 40 km from Hathras. After a short ride, the men allegedly stopped the bike and raped the girl by the roadside.
The victim had managed to stumble to the nearest police station to file a complaint. She said that the two young men who had raped her were part of the catering team at the wedding.
Boys Will Be Boys?
The sexual abuse suffered by Dalit women in UP is routine and where the attitude mostly is that boys will be boys! There was the barbaric
incident of 2020 when a 19 year old Dalit girl also in Hathras was gang raped and her body was hurriedly cremated by the police against the wishes of her family.
The police had reportedly locked up her family members in a house away from the glare of the media as the Dalit body was cremated, turning to ash also all evidence of the crime.
Similar incidents of violence against women are often dubbed as a case of suicide, and dismissed. The culprits are seldom brought to book.
Disregarding the inhumanity of the act, criminals are often not punished enough. In this case the victim was admitted to the Aligarh Medical Hospital in a paralysed condition with a severe spinal cord injury.
Before she died, in a Delhi hospital in September 2020, the victim had named the rapists but no arrests were made for days after the tragic incident. She had named four upper-caste men, and only the main accused was eventually convicted while the other three were acquitted.
Attacks On Dalit Women
The attack on Dalit women throughout UP is widespread. According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) report of 2022, UP topped the crime chart of the country.
Uttar Pradesh also topped the list of states with the highest number of crimes against Dalits. Crimes against the Scheduled Castes in 2022 accounted for roughly 28 percent of the crimes committed against the scheduled castes across the country.
The state registered the most cases of crime against women with 65, 473 cases compared to 56,083 cases in 2021. Figures are likely to be much higher because many crimes go unreported, due to fear of revenge or intimidation by the people in power, including the police.
Gangrapes in UP numbered 62, mostly around the Lakhimpur Kheri district. Remember the two Dalit sisters who were found hanging from a tree also in Lakhimpur Kheri district a decade ago? Lakhimpur Kheri district has witnessed similar incidents of crime against women in the past.
Three minor girls were raped and murdered in different parts of the district between August 14 and September 3, 2020, almost normalizing routine violence against Dalit women.
Activists said that Dalit women face a higher risk of gender and caste-based violence at the hands of men from dominant castes who use sexual violence as a weapon. It is to reassert their superiority and to humiliate all women, in particular Dalit women who are not seen as human beings.
The violence faced by Dalit women is accompanied by economic oppression and sanctified by the caste system.
Since the early 1990s, violence against Dalits has escalated mainly in response to a growing Dalit rights movement. How dare the Dalits complain, is the source of anger of the ‘Upper Caste’ male. Despite strict laws and affirmative action policies, caste-motivated killings, social exclusion and other abuses remain a daily occurrence.
The three states of UP, Bihar and Rajasthan reported more than half of the cases of atrocities against Dalits. Dalit women are illiterate and have been forced to accept the social hierarchy norms. They find work as bonded labourers, and being landless in a society where untouchability is practised, most women are not aware of their civil, social, economic, and cultural rights.
When Women Own Land
Some attempts have been made in UP to involve women in rural areas to land literacy. However, not enough has been achieved so far.
In 1994 Bina Agarwal wrote “A Field of One’s Own”. According to Agarwal, landlessness is the single most important factor in the second-class citizenship of women in India. When a woman owns land, the husband knows that the woman has an alternative place to go.
Having a property to go to increases women’s bargaining power within a marriage.
Landlessness, therefore, is the main reason for rural women’s pathetic plight.
While the country’s laws are progressive and allow inheritance and equality to women, cultural practices on the ground have not overcome centuries of cruelty and discrimination against women. Even in the 21st Century most women do not know that they have rights, including to inherit and to own agricultural land.
Courtesy : citizen.
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