This Its 3,702 sq. km and 1.6 million residents form just 0.1 per cent each of India's land area and population. But Goa punches way above its weight in terms of political potboiler action. The latest: the acute mortification facing the Pramod Sawant government after one of its own ministers—a member of the ruling BJP at that—charged it with graft and malfeasance. What's worse, the impugned department, tribal welfare, is held by Sawant himself. Enough to speculate that something more than probity may be at stake.
A LITTLE FRIENDLY FIRE
The accuser—state arts and culture minister Govind Gaude—has held on for over a week in the cabinet after a public censure ofhis own government. That likely owes to his background: the MLA from Priol, north Goa, is from the Hindu Gauda community, a Scheduled Tribe. It's in that capacity that he was speaking at an event organised by the tribal welfare department and the United Tribal Association Alliance (UTAA) on May 25, when he veered off the script.
The department is getting "a large amount of taxpayer money" but not utilising it properly, he said. More scathingly, Gaude alleged, files of contractors were handled at the Shram Shakti Bhavan, and "something was taken" from them before they were processed.
A livid Sawant has vowed "appropriate action", and BJP state unit chief Damodar Naik confirmed this. But this isn't the first time the Sawant regime is getting hot Goan egg curry on its face. In March, ex-minister and BJP veteran Pandurang Madkaikar claimed he had to pay Rs 15-20 lakh to a minister to get his work done and that everyone was "busy counting money". Madkaikar, also a Hindu Gauda, recanted later. Gaude, too, is trying to, insisting that he has not said anything against Sawant. But punters are betting on his job lasting only till an imminent cabinet reshuffle.
Thereby hangs a tale that can twist and turn. The UTAA, led by former MLA Prakash Velip, is openly backing Gaude. Atribal advocacy group, it has been pro-BJP for over a decade—but conditional to its demands being met. It's an old Adivasi manifesto that has tilted Goa politics: passage of the ST Political Reservation Bill, notification of Scheduled Areas, and a tribal advisory council.
Gaude's speech came at a tribute to two tribal youth slain in mob violence on May 25, 2011, while agitating for these demands. The tribal backlash had cost the Congress dear in the 2012 election, returning the BJP to power.
ADIVASI MANIFESTO
Not a segment to be trifled with, then, yet not big enough. Counting Hindus and Christians, tribals areabout 10.23 per cent of Goa's population. North Goa has 56,606 tribals, South 92,669—or 7 and 14.5 per cent of local populations. That does not warrant Scheduled Areas, says Sawant. This live wish list feeds a script of unfulfilment, rife with characters encashing it. Gaude, seen to be close to CM aspirant and health minister Vishwajit Rane, has also faced fire for alleged graft in the Kala Academy. Retaining him would be a sign of weakness, but dropping him is dicey. Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar is handy as a rival tribal leader, close to Sawant. Await the next act.
CM Stalin: Govt will bear education expenses of ST student who cleared JEE (Advanced)
The state government will fund the educational expenses of A Rajeshwari, an Adivasi student who cleared the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced with an all-India rank of 417 under the ST category, CM Stalin said.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced that it will fund the educational expenses of A Rajeshwari, an Adivasi student who cleared the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced with an all-India rank of 417 under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. Clearing the exam will very likely qualify her for a seat at an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), reports say. This will also make Rajeswari the first student from a government tribal residential school under the Adi Dravidar & Tribal Welfare department (AD&TW) to secure a seat at an IIT, according to reports.
Rajeshwari belongs to the Malayali community, categorised as ST in the state. She is from Karumandurai, a village in the Kalvarayan Hills near Salem.
The announcement regarding funding for her further education was made by Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 6. “I salute the achievement of Rajeshwari, a government tribal residential school student who, despite losing her father, has carried his dream in her heart and made it come true,” the CM said in a statement.
Stalin further added, “The true pride for IITs is when more of our daughters such as Rajeshwari join. Our Dravidian model government will continue to work towards this.”
The Tamil Nadu government has borne the expenses of students from government schools in the state who have gained admission to IITs and other premier institutions. The state allocated Rs 50 crores in the 2025-2026 budget under the Kalloori Kanavu scheme for the educational
/**expenses of 2000 students who have gained admission to premier institutions across the country.
According to the IIT Kanpur website, 14,010 students appeared for the exam this year under the ST category. 5,008 students have qualified. A total of 1,80,422 candidates appeared for papers 1 and 2 of JEE (Advanced) 2025. Of these candidates, 54,378 have qualified. Out of the total qualified candidates, 9,404 are women candidates.
The exam was held on 18th May 2025 and results were announced on June 2.
Congress Accuses BJP of Rising Dalit Atrocities in Gujarat
Congress launches a political attack on BJP in Gujarat, alleging increased atrocities against Dalits and weaker sections. Party leader Jignesh Mevani criticizes BJP-RSS ideologies, citing low conviction rates and discriminatory practices. Mevani highlights specific incidents, urging a large-scale demonstration against social injustices.
Devdiscourse News Desk| New Delhi | Updated: 07-06-2025 23:16 IST | Created: 07-06-2025 23:16 IST
This image is AI-generated and does not depict any real-life event or location. It is a fictional representation created for illustrative purposes only.
The Congress party has escalated its criticism of the BJP governments in India, targeting alleged increases in atrocities on Dalits and weaker communities in Gujarat. Prominent Congress leader Jignesh Mevani accused the BJP and RSS of disregarding constitutional values.
Mevani cited various incidents, such as the suicide of Rohith Vemula and the gang-rape of a Dalit girl in Santrampur, underscoring low conviction rates in Gujarat's legal system. According to him, 95% of culprits avoid punishment due to systemic failures.
As the Congress prepares for a significant protest, Mevani criticized Gujarat's leadership for prioritizing political events over addressing victimized communities, alleging discrimination in public service examinations for marginalized groups.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Mevani attacks BJP over atrocities on Dalits, weaker sections in Gujarat
Citing the low conviction rate in cases of atrocities on Dalits, Mevani said at the national level, this figure is 30-35%, but in Gujarat it is only 3-5%
The Congress leader told reporters that several incidents of Dalit atrocities have been reported from Gujarat such as the murder of a 19-year-old Dalit youth in Amreli (File)
Congress’s Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s silence on alleged incidents of atrocities against Dalits, adivasis and other weaker sections in Gujarat, and announced that the party will hit the streets to raise the issue.
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Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in the Capital, Mevani accused the PM, the Home Minister and the RSS of “putting the values of Manusmriti above the Constitution”.
Citing the low conviction rate in cases of atrocities on Dalits, Mevani said at the national level, this figure is 30-35%, but in Gujarat it is only 3-5%, which means 95% of the culprits in the state go scot-free.
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The Congress leader told reporters that several incidents of Dalit atrocities have been reported from Gujarat such as the murder of a 19-year-old Dalit youth in Amreli, the alleged setting ablaze of a Dalit senior citizen in Patan and the alleged gangrape of a Dalit girl in which BJP members are alleged to have been involved.
“The Congress is preparing to launch a massive demonstration in August-September against atrocities being afflicted on Dalits, adivasis and those from the weakened sections in Gujarat,” he announced.
The complainant alleged that over a dozen people barged into the marriage hall when his sister’s wedding was taking place and attacked them with sticks, hurling caste-based words against them, according to the police.
Two individuals were injured when around a dozen people allegedly attacked a Dalit family and used caste-based slurs during a wedding ceremony at a marriage hall in Rasra town of Ballia, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Friday.
The incident occurred on Friday. (Sourced)
The attackers objected to the wedding being held at the marriage hall, according to the complaint filed by Raghvendra Gautam, a resident of Mission Road in Rasra.
Rasra police station in-charge Vipin Singh said an investigation is underway.
The complainant alleged that over a dozen people barged into the marriage hall when his sister’s wedding was taking place and attacked them with sticks, hurling caste-based words against them, according to the police.
His cousin Ajay Kumar, 26, and another person suffered injuries in the attack, the complainant alleged.
Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The accused went absconding shortly after the girl’s family started searching for her. Police have identified him and have started a search
In a gruesome murder that unfolded on Saturday evening, a nine-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by her 30-year-old neighbour at his house near Dayalpur in northeast Delhi, after which he stuffed her body in a suitcase to hide it, police officers said on Sunday.
According to police, the accused is mini-goods vehicle driver, married and is originally from Hapur in UP. (Representational/Screengrab/X/@ANI)
The accused went absconding shortly after the girl’s family started searching for her. Police have identified him and have initiated a search, officers said.
The grisly crime led to widespread outrage in the area, with the family members of the girl and locals staging a protest. Security personnel were deployed in the area to ensure law and order, officers said.
According to police and the family members, the girl, a Class 5 student at a local government school and a resident of Dayalpur, left her house at around 7pm to give “ice to another relative who lives nearby. While on her way, the accused, who lives in a second floor flat in a six-storey building in the area, allegedly asked the girl to come to his house on the pretext of delivering his house keys which had fallen on the road, police said. Locals and her family alleged that he had deliberately thrown the keys to convince the girl to come. Around 7.30pm, when the girl did not return, the family enquired about her from the relative, but they told him that she had not come to their house. The family then began a search.
“Nearly half hour into the search, my 13-year-old niece informed me that a woman in the neighbourhood had seen my daughter going inside a six-storey building to deliver keys to a man living on the second floor... By the time I reached the second floor flat, my brother and some locals were already present there. The flat was locked and a man outside the house claimed that it belonged to his brother and the keys were with him. The man asked my brother to accompany him to his brother’s confectionery shop in the area. On the way, the man ran away even as my brother chased him for a few metres,” the father said.
According to police, the attack was triggered by allegations that the boys had sent obscene messages to a girl from an upper-caste community.
Three Dalit minor boys were allegedly tied to a flagpole and brutally assaulted by a mob of upper-caste villagers in Harogeri village under the Naragund police station limits in Karnataka's Gadag district. The assault, which took place on May 28, surfaced only after videos began circulating on social media, triggering widespread outrage.
Naragund police inspector B Manjunath said that the incident was "triggered by obscene messages sent by the minor boys".(Representative Image/Getty Images)
According to police, the attack was triggered by allegations that the boys had sent obscene messages to a girl from an upper-caste community. Using this as justification, a mob of around 60 people allegedly tied the boys to a gram panchayat flagpole and beat them with ropes, sticks, and slippers. The attack left the boys with serious injuries and swelling across their bodies.
“The incident was triggered by obscene messages sent by the minor boys, who belong to the Dalit community,” Naragund police inspector B Manjunath told Hindustan Times. “We registered a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and BNS provisions on May 30 and have arrested eight persons so far. Many accused are absconding, but we arrested four more on Friday and are continuing our efforts to trace the remaining suspects.” A separate POCSO case has also been registered against 30 people in connection with the incident, police said.
The brutality didn’t stop with the assault. According to the families of the victims, when they attempted to intervene, they were threatened and chased away by members of the dominant caste. “Untouchability is still very much alive in our village,” one of the victim’s parents told HT. “This incident is just another example of the discrimination we face every day.”
Adding to the tragedy, one of the assaulted minors, overwhelmed by shame and trauma, attempted suicide by consuming poison. He was rushed to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi, where he remains in critical condition.
While a case was eventually registered at the Naragund police station, local sources indicated that there were initial efforts to suppress the complaint, with some community leaders reportedly pushing for a compromise. It was only after the visuals went viral online that authorities moved to take formal action.
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Sivaji.UT news.Chief,kadapa.AP. In India There are 143 reserved MPs and 62 SC.STs won in general seats.143(reserved seats)+62(general seats)=205..sc.st out of 543..Lok Sabha MPs.38%.Dr Ambedkar is winning slowly in Dr Ambedkar India....good. GOOD NEWS. The facts from EC.website.SC.ST.. 20%(19.7) are elected in General Seats merritoriously. Dalit,SC.ST candidates in general seats rarely win. 🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘 ALL INDIA LEVEL ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ In all India level Overall, since 2004, 5,953 SC/ST candidates have contested from (general seats ) unreserved seats in Lok Sabha elections, with 62 (or just over 1%) of them winning. In state Assembly elections, the number is almost similar, at 20,644 such candidates, and 246 recorded wins (1.19%). Lok Sabha elections Since 2004, the highest number of SC/ST winners in general seats were seen in 2024 last year’s Lok Sabha elections, at 22 (two of them women) – though, their number h...
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