Asian Human Rights Commission

[Ed. Note: We provide here a snapshot of the daily lives and suffering of India's Dalits through a number of cases from different parts of the country throughout the year. It is hoped that they will help illustrate the variety and continual forms of violence that Dalits must endure every day with little hope of receiving justice.]

Dalit Girl Gang-Raped for Nearly Two Years, January 2002

Kumari Bhagwanti (Neetu), the daughter of Sh. Mani Ram of a scheduled caste, the Meghwal caste, was about 14 years old when she was abducted from the town of Hanuman Garh by Rohitash and Krishan Godara. She was allegedly raped by the two men at their home. Afterwards, Kumari was given to 70 or more men for sex during approximately a two-year period and raped in various places in Hanumangar and Ganganagar districts. She tried to escape but was stopped by a person named Ms. Vimla, who was known for supplying girls to influential rich people in the area. She soon began to supply Kumari to other men in the area. This illegal activity continued until Kumari was successfully able to escape.

On Oct. 18, 2001, Master Jasvihder, a social worker in Hanuman Garh, reported the incident to the Hanuman Garh police. Kumari was examined and provided the names of more than 70 people in her first information report (FIR) statements. However, the police only identified 22 people as the main suspects and arrested just 15 of them, including Ms. Vimla, on

Oct. 19 and 25, 2001. Seven main suspects who are powerful, upper-caste people in the area though were excluded. Moreover, the police tried to weaken the case by destroying the evidence because of pressure from influential people.

Meanwhile, the girl and her parents were kept in the custody of those who were directly and indirectly involved in the crime. The police have said that the girl was a minor, and, because of her age, she was handed over to her parents in the presence of their landlord in their village of Gehlol Nagar. For a while, the girl and her parents were not seen in the village, and their whereabouts were unknown. Fortunately, as a result of constant pressure from many Dalit human rights organisations, the victim and her parents were rehabilitated. However, they are still being harassed and terrorised by her family's landlord and other influential people.

The charge sheet of this incident was filed in the local court on Jan. 25, 2002, against only 15 suspects without mentioning seven powerful people who are believed to be involved in the crime, including Shakti Punia and Suresh Adovocate. Moreover, although the investigation officer, Jagdhish Chander Bishnoi, was removed from the case, he still influenced the police not to arrest the remaining seven primary suspects who are believed to be from his caste.

(Source: National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights)

Police Practices Aid Rapist of Dalit Woman, February 2002

On Feb. 3, 2002, Tara Devi, a 22-year-old woman, was raped by Chatiaya. Tara Devi's parents wanted to report the incident, but the station house officer (SHO) delayed filing the report and then did not file it under the correct section of the law. The file was left incomplete, and the SHO then proceeded to help the dominant-caste rapist destroy evidence of the rape. Moreover, the investigation and medical examination were not conducted on time, thereby considerably weakening the victim's case and chances of obtaining justice.

It was with the help of the Centre for Dalit Human Rights (CDHR) that the culprit was arrested on March 20, 2002, only to be released on bail on April 13. Since then, the culprit has been threatening to kill Tara Devi and her family. The attempt of her parents to inform the police of these threats was ignored by the police, which threw them out of the police station.

Meanwhile, one important witness to the rape, being from the dominant Gurjar caste community, was pressured by the community to keep silent, resulting in the witness changing his statement, which has made it impossible for Tara Devi's family to support their case. The family neither has the means nor the resources or contacts in high places, like the culprit, to fight their case in court.

(Source: National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights)

Bihar Assembly Speaker Rapes Dalit Woman, May 2002

Reena Devi, a Dalit woman from Rangra Chowk, filed a complaint in a local court against the assembly speaker of the state of Bihar and his brother along with a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and officer-in-charge (OIC) of three police stations. She charged them with gang rape, illegal confinement and torture. The assembly speaker claimed the charges were politically motivated and false.

Police sources say Reena Devi was under investigation in an abduction case in which a boy was held in captivity for two months before being rescued in June 2002. According to Reena Devi, the rape and torture occurred when she went to inquire about the arrest of her father, Jogi Dom, who had been taken into custody for the abduction (her father was later released). Arriving at the Kahalgaon police station where her father was kept on May 6, 2002, she was put in jail where the police assaulted her. She was detained and tortured for 20 to 25 days by the policemen as well as by the assembly speaker's brother. On June 5, the police took her to the assembly speaker who raped her before releasing her.

(Source: The Indian Express)

Dalit Men Forced to Eat Human Faeces, May 2002

The atrocity took place on May 21, 2002, in the village of Tinniyum in Tiruchi District of the state of Tamil Nadu. Karupiah, a local Dalit, paid 2,000 rupees (US$ 42) to the former village panchayat (council) president, Rajalakshmi Subramanian, to provide a group house for Karupiah's sister. For two years, Karupiah's sister was not allowed to take possession of the house though, and all attempts to have the money returned were refused. Eventually, Karupiah decided to beat a drum through the village to draw attention to his grievance. He was accompanied by two other Dalits, Murugesan and Ramasami.

That very same evening all three people were summoned by Kamraj, the present village panchayat president, and Subramani, a retired teacher who is the husband of Rajalakshmi. Subramani, enraged by Karupiah's act of beating the drum, demanded an apology and slapped him with slippers and kicked him hard. Next was Murugesan and Ramasami, who were also subjected to beatings and were branded on various parts of their body with a red-hot iron rod. Murugesan and Ramasami had to beat the drum again, declaring that the earlier story was false. All of these cruel acts took place in the presence of the family members of these three Dalits. Subramani then ordered Ramasami and Murugesan to feed each other human excreta. This egregious act was forced on the Dalits after repeatedly being branded with a hot iron.

Since the atrocity occurred, the culprits have gone into hiding. Although the incident has received widespread publicity and there has even been compensation paid to the affected people, the culprits remain unpunished.

(Source: International Dalit Solidarity Network)

Dalit Cousins Murdered, June 2002

Two Dalit cousins, Rajjan, 20, and Ram Singh, 18, were beaten to death on the outskirts of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, while herding their cattle on June 19, 2002. The two men were reported missing by their distant relatives, aged 6 and 8, who had been with the victims on the day of the crime. Leaving for the fields together, the younger ones went to a different field. When the two returned later that day, they could not find Rajjan and Ram Singh. The boys went home on their own, informing their parents of the missing youth. An extensive manhunt was launched, including throwing nets into the Gomati River that flows near where the two were last seen. The two young men though were not found.

The following day the bodies of Ram Singh and Rajjan were found in Gosainganj stuffed in a small ditch covered with sand in a nearby orchard owned by Panna Lal. The young men had been severely beaten with multiple injuries on both bodies. Blood was oozing out of the ears and noses of the two victims, suggesting that they had experienced a lot of pain before being killed.

The reason for the murder is thought to be an old dispute between the father of Ram Singh and the younger brother of the orchard owner where the bodies were recovered. The family lodged a case of murder; but as so often occurs when Dalits are the victims, the likelihood of justice is doubtful.

(Source: The Times of India)

Success Leads to Attack on Dalits, July 2002

Hundreds of upper-caste thugs attacked Dalits in the village of Gadkokal near Brahmagiri in Puri District in the state of Orissa while the Dalits were in their fields. Three Dalits were admitted to the hospital
for serious injuries while many others sustained minor wounds.

The police reacted by arresting several Dalits, but the upper-caste thugs allegedly responsible for the violence remained free.

The land, which has become the subject of the dispute between the upper-and lower-caste people of the area, was donated to the Dalit families during the Bhoodan Movement more than two decades ago. Initially, the Dalits sought to grow paddy on the land, but frequent waterlogging forced them to consider the more lucrative option of prawn cultivation. It is perhaps the success of prawn farming which has caused the anger of the upper castes, which began claiming that the land was disputed.

Shantilata Bhoi, wife of one of the Dalit men who was arrested, said the Dalits were caught between upper-caste persecution and police indifference. In this violent incident, the OIC of the Brahmagiri police station as well as the superintendent of police (SP) and district collector only responded with apathy.

"We are being forcibly evicted from our own land; and on top of that, the police are siding with the goons. What can be worse?" she asked.

(Source: The Pioneer)

Dalit Woman's Defiance Results in Police Attack, July 2002

Azhagammal, a 27-year-old Dalit woman of Padaminchi, a hamlet near the village of Ulagampatti in Sivaganga, lives in fear.

Surviving a brutal police assault and harassment at the hands of a caste-dominated local panchayat, Azhagammal, who works as a noon-meal worker, has been forced to move to Tiruchi where she lives under the protection of a group of women activists.

Trouble began for her when she sought a divorce from her unemployed husband two years ago. The panchayat opposed it, but she obtained a divorce through the court. Stung by her actions, the panchayat ordered her to hand over her child to her husband. When she refused to do so, she was ostracised by the village. The panchayat also opposed her attempts to bring agriculture coolies from a nearby village to till her land.

Irked by her "impertinent" behaviour, it imposed a fine of 51,000 rupees (US$ 1,063) to "teach her a lesson." When she expressed her inability to pay, she was ordered to prostrate herself before the panchayat members with a "concession" that reduced the fine by 1,000 rupees (US$ 21) for each prostration. Succumbing to the pressure, she prostrated 47 times to reduce the fine to 4,000 rupees (US$ 83).

When Azhagammal reported this incident to the police, they refused to act. She then referred the matter to the district collector. The administration ordered an RDO inquiry under Section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and warrants were issued, including to Azhagammal.

The decision though to approach the higher officials annoyed the local police. On July 7, 2002, plainclothes policemen came to her house on the pretext of executing a warrant under Section 107 of the CrPC. Azhagammal claimed that she was beaten inside the house. With her dress in shreds, four policemen allegedly dragged her out of the house and beat her with a log until she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she found herself in the Ulagampatti police station.

After nearly five hours, two women constables escorted her to the Ponnamaravathi Government Hospital where she was given first aid. She was produced before the Devakottai RDO, who instructed her to meet him in August.

Fearing a threat to her life, she approached the Women's Legal Aid Centre of the All-India Democratic Women's Association in Tiruchi, which admitted her to the Government General Hospital for multiple injuries on her thigh and back. Nine days later she was discharged.

(Source: The Hindu)

Dalit Women Raped and Paraded Naked in Public, July 2002

Two Dalit women were gang-raped, stripped naked and paraded in the village of Sudan in the Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand on July 12, 2002. Kasia Devi and her daughter-in-law Basanti were raped by the thugs of businessman Rameshwar Modi because they refused to part with a small plot of land, said DSP Hemand Toppo. The women's faces were also smeared with lime and cow dung.

Police from Barkattha visited the village, but they were chased away by the thugs. The following day, however, a much larger police contingent arrived in the village and arrested one of the accused.

(Source: The Hindu)

Dalit Boy Commits Suicide after Humiliation in School, July 2002

Gangaram Ravi, a 15-year-old villager from Tummaluru in Rangareddy District, died on July 24, 2002, in the Osmania hospital. He was a student in the ninth grade at Tummalur Z. P. High School. On July 22, an incident occurred at school which led him to take the extreme step of suicide.

That day Ravi's teacher, Doma Jangaiah, gave him some homework to do. Ravi's classmate, Srikanth Reddy, sarcastically asked another student, Devender Goud, whether "goud barre (buffalo) can do homework." Because of some distance between them in the classroom, Ravi passed the same comment to Goud, who then quarrelled with Ravi, believing that Ravi himself had made the comment, aided by Reddy's lies to this effect. All three students argued with each other before eventually approaching the teacher. Ravi, however, was then beaten and insulted by the teacher. He was subsequently taken to the headmaster, N. Krishnaiah, and beaten by the headmaster as well. His pleading that he was innocent was not accepted; and unable to bear the humiliation, Ravi requested that the teachers issue him a TC so that he could leave the school and join another school.

As he reached home that evening, his elder brother Kumar met Jangaiah, the teacher, who complained about Ravi's demands for a TC. Kumar went home and inquired about the issue. Ravi was so mentally upset and depressed about the incident at school that he poured kerosene over himself and set fire to himself. Sustaining severe burns, Ravi was taken from Tummaluru to the Osmania hospital for treatment but died on July 24.

An independent fact-finding team from SAKSHI Human Rights Watch-Andhra Pradesh was able to ascertain from Ravi's family that Ravi had been repeatedly subjected to insults and humiliation by his dominant-caste classmates and teachers. He had also been fined for not wearing his chappals (slippers) and for not combing and dressing adequately. Sometimes he was asked to sit separately in the classroom on
allegations that he had exema and infectious wounds.

(Source: National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights)

Apathy of Police Contributes to Murder of Dalits, August 2002

Three Dalits belonging to the Pasi community, including a 12-year-old boy, were found brutally murdered on Aug. 21, 2002, on the banks of the Sharda Sahayak Nahar in the village of Balsingh Khera in Nagram, which is 40 kilometres from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The victims, who had gone fishing, were killed with sharp-edged weapons.

The attacks, suspected to be by criminals, left the villagers in a state of shock and agitated. Their anger was directed at the police whom they blamed for inaction and apathy. Senior police officials who rushed
to the scene found an angry mob of hundreds of villagers. Many had come from neighbouring villages.

Compensation of 10,000 rupees (US$ 208) for each of the families of the deceased was announced by the government.

Ramharsh, 35, Raghuveer, 20, and Sanjay, 12, had gone fishing, an important means of livelihood for the people in the area, on the night of Aug. 20. When they did not return in the morning, Raghuveer's brother went to the site and found his brother and the others dead. Shocked, he ran back to the village and informed everyone about their deaths.

The news spread quickly, and soon hundreds of villagers from adjoining communities assembled where the Dalits were killed. Two constables on beat patrol were chased away by the angry mob when they came to investigate. Senior officers later arrived at the scene.

Villagers claimed that they had seen seven to eight outsiders entering the village in the night. The local people claimed that they had informed the Nagram police station about the outsiders and had complained about the terror being created by criminals in the area, but the police never took these complaints seriously, saying they were rumours.

Later a senior police official admitted that the station officer in Nagram and other staff were guilty of indifference. The common refrain of the people was that, despite their repeated complaints, night patrols were never initiated by the local police.

(Source: The Times of India)

Untouchables A Dalit poet Land-based, hard working labourers-All poor, dirty, skinny bones have been Millions, millions and millions of years Mining land for all their mineral wealth To create various good material riches. For planting seeds, shrubs and trees, For cultivating good crops, food fruits, Ploughing agricultural farms and fields And digging the earth and the rich land-The Land-Oh, Mother Earth Goddess-Dark, dirty, poor skinny bones of land! Just for digging and ploughing the land-Blamed, accused and abused for having Defiled Mother Earth-virtually raping her-Have been condemned as Untouchables. Generation after generation, generations Of great grandfather grandfather's father, Son, grandson, great grandson and son, Great, great, great, great, great grandson And so on-on and on and on endlessly! And that is how rulers, Vedic scholars, Rich traders and, from among them, All their learned wise men and women-Great big philosophers-all the teachers Been fooling people for millenniums!

Police Refuse to Register Gang Rape of Dalit Girl, August 2002

A 14-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped by four people in the village of Behta Bujurg in Ghatampur police circle on the night of Aug. 21. They also roughed up her family members, warning them to keep quiet about the attack.

Reema Kureel, daughter of Rambabu, had gone outside at night when she was dragged into a field and raped. When Rambabu went to the Ghatampur police to lodge an FIR the next morning, the police refused to register it.

(Source: The Times of India)

Dalit Woman Beaten for Encouraging Relationship between Different Castes, August 2002

Had Keshappa and Meramma, a young couple from the village of Vannenur in Bellary District who fell in love across an inflexible caste divide, been caught together, they would in all likelihood have been lynched by the residents of this caste-cleaved village in the state of Karnataka.

Keshappa is a Dalit, and Meramma is from the upper Valmiki caste. It was to escape harm that they fled their village. Their act of daring destabilised the rigid network of caste-based social conventions in the village, but not for long. On hearing that Meramma was in a nearby village, her enraged relatives forcibly brought her back. She was abused and beaten and later sent away to relatives in another village. Keshappa dared not return to his village and has presently not been traced.

There was further upper-caste reprisal that was swift and savage, however. Yerramma, a poor Dalit agricultural labourer in her mid-30s, was singled out for punishment for her alleged role in encouraging the clandestine affair. The village had been in a ferment ever since Meramma was found in mid-August. There were rumours of revenge, and the Dalits feared that their homes would be set on fire by the Valmikis-a mode of upper caste attack that is not uncommon.

On the evening of Aug. 26, a large gang of upper-caste men, drunk and armed with knives, went to Yerramma's house, dragged her into the nearby field and stripped her while beating her. They were accompanied by several women as well. The gang tied her arms behind her head and then dragged her down the main road for a distance of about 700 metres to the village panchayat office where they tied her to a post. The entire village was witness to this spectacle, but no one dared to intervene.

Yerramma's husband Yennappa and daughter Honamma tried to stop the men but were beaten themselves. It was only when the men left Yerramma that her husband and daughter could help. Yennappa covered her with the piece of the cloth he was wearing and brought her home.

"They beat and kicked my mother, shouting at her to accept her mistake," Honamma said. "Mother said, 'Even if you kill me, I will not accept that I did any wrong. I too have a daughter. ' I tore a piece out of my sari to cover her, but they threw it away. The whole village was watching, including panchayat members, but the men said they would kill anyone who tried to stop them," Honamma said.

Soon after Yerramma was brought back to her home the police were informed, and a group of police officers arrived. Yerramma and her husband were taken to the police station where they filed a FIR. Afterwards Yerramma, who was bruised and in a state of emotional trauma, was taken to the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Science in the town of Bellary. The FIR named eight people-five men and three women, including the parents of Meramma-for the crime.

The unwritten rules of caste govern life in most villages of Karnataka, especially in the northern districts where this tragedy took place. The brazenness, however, of this well-planned upper-caste vendetta suggests the depth of upper-caste domination in this area and the contempt that the upper castes have for the law. Although Valmikis are a scheduled tribe, they are superior to Dalits in the caste hierarchy. Of the 543 households in the village, 320 are Valmiki homes, and 90 are Dalits. The Valmikis are a land-holding caste, and several of them are wealthy owners of irrigated agricultural land.

As the crime was committed by members of a scheduled tribe, cases could not be booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, a law that has more teeth and makes any atrocity motivated by caste a non-bailable offence. Instead, the eight accused people were charged under the Protection of Civil Rights Act of 1955 as well as other provisions-offences which were all bailable.

The next morning the eight accused people were arrested and produced before the court of the judicial first class magistrate in Bellary. Despite the exceptional nature of the crime, they were released on bail. Immediately, the five accused men absconded. In a second round of preventive arrests, the three women were rearrested, and another 17 people from the village were taken into custody. The fact that the culprits were released on bail despite the enormity of the crime only reinforces the Dalits' convictions of upper-caste invincibility.

"You have let them out on bail. Give me poison. There is now no point in living," said Yerramma.

Many Dalit families, particularly those who are related or seen as close to Yerramma, have not gone to work since the incident. "We are frightened. They are already saying that they will burn our houses," said Kishtamma, Yerramma's aunt. "There is nothing we can do. We have no voice. We are like the dead."

Hanumakka, Keshappa's mother, was burdened with her own fears for her son's safety and her family's future in the village. Although her son had not returned, the family had not filed a complaint with the police.

"I knew nothing of his affair, and I have not seen my son from the day he left the house," Hanumakka said.

The apprehensions of the Dalits and their lack of confidence in the law have some justification given the abysmal track record of the courts in handing out punishment for caste crimes. Karnataka has a very low conviction rate in the matter of cases booked under the Prevention of Atrocities Act (see table). According to S. N. Borkar, additional director-general of police of the Civil Rights Enforcement Cell, there are several reasons for this.

"Although special courts for trying caste crimes have been established under the act," Borkar explained, "they do not confine themselves exclusively to such crimes, and they are heavily burdened with other cases. There is also a lapse of more than a year before a charge sheet is drawn up and the case is committed to such courts. The cases are frequently adjourned, and the parties are so unequal in economic and social standing that, with the delays, witnesses turn hostile, and the case finally becomes too weak for a conviction."

At present, half the compensation due to a victim of a caste atrocity is to be paid at the time of the filing of the FIR (the compensation rates for different types of caste crimes are listed in the rules framed in 1995 to the Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989). The remaining half is to be paid after the conviction. Since a conviction has become such an unlikely occurrence, the Karnataka police have recommended to the government that the act be amended to ensure that the remaining 50 percent of the compensation be paid after the charge sheet is filed.

In Yerramma's case, several days after the crime neither had a charge sheet been filed nor had the main perpetrators of the crime been arrested. While in the hospital in Bellary, Yerramma's physical condition worsened, and she was transferred to the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology in Bangalore.

(Source: Frontline Magazine)

Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
YEAR	OFFENCES REGISTERED	CHARGE SHEETS FILED	CONVICTIONS
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 (to June)	515 672 829 1,090 1,322 1,227 1,335 1,219 1,128 1,254 579	428 565 698 979 1,008 942 1,065 949 819 635 194	1 3 1 1 2 1 1 Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available

(Source: Civil Rights Enforcement Cell, Bangalore, India)

Gang Rape and Death of Dalit Girl Sparks Outrage, August 2002

A mob blocked the Delhi-Saharanpur highway and attacked the local police station on Aug. 26, 2002, after a 19-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped and then hacked to death. The mob demanded the arrest of those responsible for the girl's death. The attack on the girl took place the previous day near the Uttar Pradesh village of Heend, Muzaffarnagar, when the girl had gone to collect fodder for animals.

(Source: The Times of India)

Dalit Family Attacked over Land, September 2002

Sri Sankan is a Dalit agricultural labourer of the Pallar community living in the Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu. Previously he was a bonded labourer in the fields of Asokan, son of Krishnasamy Gounder, in Kavundampatti, just as Sankan's father, Periasamy, before him. From a young age, Sankan and his four brothers were also labourers on Krishnasamy's farm and in the fields of his brothers. Krishnasamy is a rich upper-caste Hindu farmer who owns hundreds of acres of land. Sankan was responsible for the cultivation of 16 acres of land, and there were others like him to whom Krishnasamy had divided his land.

During the harvest, the entire produce would be handed over to Krishnasamy by Sankan. In return, he accepted whatever his landlord gave him. This was the custom from the time of Sankan's father; and for the past 30 years, Sankan and his father had been looking after their lands in a responsible manner.

Sankan then requested that Asokan, his landlord, sell him 1.5 acres of his land. He had promised that Asokan could deduct 500 rupees (about US$ 10) every month from his salary until he was able to recover the cost of the land. As a result of this deal, Sankan had been paying for this piece of land for the past 15 years. In addition to tending to Asokan's farm, he was also looking after the farms of Asokan's younger brothers, Sathyamoorthy and Baskaran, as well. Sathyamoorthy paid Sankan 500 rupees every month, and Sankan, in turn, used to pay this sum to Asokan for the 1.5 acres of land. Sankan, however, never asked for any remuneration from the others.

About five years ago the neighbouring landlord, Bose Gounder, accused Sankan of stealing coconuts from his grove. He shouted at Sankan and even made a false complaint against him at the police station. Sankan too shouted back. As a result, he was tied to a tree and beaten, called derogatory caste names and humiliated. He was also pulled up and down with a rope tied to the top of the tree and was thus tortured in this way. Having witnessed this incident, Sankan's younger brother Ponnar informed Asokan and asked for his advice. Asokan gave him 300 rupees (US$ 6.25) and told him to file a complaint under the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act of 1955. As a result, Sankan was released. They went to the Vadipatti police station where they registered a complaint. Bose Gounder and his son were then immediately arrested by the police and sent to jail in Madurai.

Three days after this incident, when Sankan was standing at the Vadipatti bus stand, Kalaivanan and a few members of the Gounder community came towards him and made menacing comments like, "You Pallar dog. Having stolen coconuts, you dare file a case?" They then started beating him and threatened to murder him.

Out of fear, Sankan went back to nearby Dindigul and filed a complaint under the PCR. From the mmainayakanoor police station, the PCR wing arrested Kalaivanan and four other Gounders. Hearing of these incidents, about 300 Gounders went in about 10 tractors to the Ammainayakanoor police station to protest and threatened to attack the police station. The inspector of the police station and the police force were called in. The tahsildar (civil servant) and the Dindigul RDO spoke to the mob and told them that it is not possible to release those who were arrested and informed them that, if they so wished, they could seek bail. After hearing this news, the agitated crowd dispersed.

Afterwards, Asokan asked Sankan not to leave the farm because the high-caste people had told him that they would not hesitate to murder Sankan. Consequently, Sankan did not leave the farm for three months.

During this time, the panchayat elections were announced. Asokan told him that he had to leave the farm and live outside the village for a while. Asokan said he was planning to contest the elections, but his caste people were angry with him and would not vote for him. Sankan was upset and asked his landlord how he could request him to leave when his life was in danger. Moreover, he asked, How does one who has toiled for 30 years leave suddenly and that too without any valid reason? At this point, the landlord shouted at Sankan rudely, "You dog! Do you inform me when you come and go anywhere, and now you ask for reasons? You better get out!"

Sankan immediately asked his landlord to give him his 1.5 acres of land on which he had being paying and also his share for having worked for 30 years. Asokan refused to give him anything and threatened him with dire consequences. Finding no other way to resolve the issue, Sankan went to Dindigul and registered a case under the PCR Act against Asokan and his brothers.

The next day the inspector and a few policemen visited Asokan's farm and inquired about the matter. They spoke to the neighbours and were convinced that Sankan's claims were true. At the insistence of the police, Sankan and Asokan, along with their family members, went to the police station the following day. After deliberations, it was decided that Sankan should be given the land for which he had paid; his wages for labouring for 30 years, which were calculated to be 85,000 rupees (US$ 1,771); and an additional 15,000 rupees (US$ 312.50). The total sum to be paid was 100,000 rupees (US$ 2,083). Asokan promised to pay the amount and hand over the land documents before the village panchayat; Sankan consented to his proposal. Nothing further, however, was done.

After a month, Sankan went again to the PCR section and reported that the agreement had not been kept. As a result, a FIR was filed against Asokan and his brothers, and they were subsequently arrested, but they were soon released on bail. Asokan and his brothers then hired five Thevar thugs who ordered Sankan to vacate the land, stating that they had taken the land on lease. When Sankan refused, they tied him up and badly beat him. On hearing his cries, the neighbouring high-caste farmers came, tied his hands and legs and took him and his family in a jeep and threw them in a lake near the village. They also bundled all his household goods and dumped them in the lake as well. The damaged and lost household goods were worth 30,000 rupees (US$ 625).

Later he returned to his 1.5 acres of land. After a few days, the police from the Ammainayakanoor station came in the evening while he was working and said that they had come to inquire about the PCR complaint. Consequently, Sankan accompanied them to the police station. When he entered the station, the police pushed Sankan inside a cell and accused him of trying to murder Asokan. The next morning Sankan was remanded in the Trichy jail where he was kept for a month. During this time, his hut was burned down, property worth 20,000 rupees (US$ 417) was damaged and his wife and children were beaten up and driven away. When Sankan was released on bail a month later, he went back to his home with the dream of rebuilding it, but again the policemen from Ammainayakanoor came and took him away, accusing him of attempting to kill Asokan once more. They put him in the Madurai jail, and he was released on bail after a month for the second time.

Meanwhile, while Sankan was in jail, Asokan illegally sold his property to 11 people by dividing the 1.5 acres of land into smaller plots. When Sankan was released, he asked these 11 people to leave the land and made a complaint to the Ammainayakanoor police, who found that these 11 people had no proper documents and that there was a civil dispute pending in the court. Of the 11 people, 10 of them settled with Asokan-either got back their money or alternative land sites-and left Sankan's land. However, Kannan, son of Chinnasamy, refused to vacate the land. In spite of the ongoing false case of attempted murder, Sankan continued to fight the civil suit on his own, which had been going on for five years. In the end, the court rendered a verdict in Sankan's favour.

On Sept. 5, 2002, Sankan was drinking tea at Dhanapandy's tea shop when he was abused and dragged 200 yards up the street by Kannan Thevar and others-Chinnasamy, Vakkil, Vairam and Annadurai Thevar. The last of these is a policeman posted in Chennai. Sankan was beaten and kicked. Kannan bent his head back, and Annadurai urinated into Sankan's mouth. This was witnessed by Rajamani, a friend of Sankan's, but also by other members of the local Pallar and Gounder communities. They were all threatened that, if anyone came forward to be a witness, they would not be left alive.

Rajamani took Sankan to his home where he spent the night. Three days later he decided to go and make a written complaint. He was near Dhanapandy's tea shop when Kannan saw him and shouted, "You and your family will be burnt to death with petrol, you Pallar bastard, if you are going to the police station. We will not allow you to return!"

Filled with fear and realising that, even if he courageously filed a complaint, his family would be alone and they could attack his family, Sankan did not make a complaint. After several days in hiding, Sankan approached People's Watch-Tamil Nadu for help.

On Sept. 14, People's Watch took the case to the inspector general of police (IGP) for the south zone of Tamil Nadu, who ordered the SP in Dindigul to investigate and have an inquiry conducted by an additional DSP. Sankan and the People's Watch monitoring team, however, felt that the inquiry was unsatisfactory because the DSP seemed to have preconceived notions about the case. At the suggestion of People's Watch, Sankan filed a complaint at the Ammainayakanoor police station, following which an FIR was made under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Sankan was interviewed by the police.

A further statement was taken by Inspector Shajahan of the PCR, and Sankan was pushed into partly signing it even though he was unable to read the contents and no one was allowed to read it for him. At the current time, no arrests have been made. There are also deep concerns about the way the investigation is being handled, particularly by Inspector Shajahan, who ironically was transferred from Sankaralingapuram due to his involvement in alleged police excesses against Dalits to the PCR unit which deals with complaints lodged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Such a transfer is obviously of questionable judgement.

(Source: People's Watch-Tamil Nadu and International Dalit Solidarity Network)

 

He Died a Dalit! A Dalit poet He died suffering all night-nobody to look or bother! With fever and severe pain, he rolled through the night Without a wink of sleep till night had run its course. At last, the dawn was there with the early morning light Painting the sky outside looking through the window. Darkness gone, felt relieved and slowly he dozed off. Morning, he did not get up; nobody bothered to check Or wake him up for a bath and give some breakfast. Left him to himself to sleep through morning forenoon And also the afternoon till someone tried to wake him. Felt him hot-burning, like fire, so hot surely he would die! Disease never diagnosed with no right medicine given, But randomly some tablet given by his people at home. He died soon thereafter finally ending his eventful life But a very sad, meaningless life-no dreams ever fulfilled. He died in the end putting an end to many, many things-His own personal problems and the problems of others-Due to him and his living-without solving many problems That he should have solved and settled in others' interests. Thus, he finally left going away forever from this world, Opening many new problems to those he left behind Who never bothered him when he was alive, Who curse him now and then as they remember him Whenever somebody talks about him or reminds them. He who never was corrupt or made money or wealth Or amassed assets definitely was a Poor Simple Dalit!

Dalits Beaten for 'Soiling Purity of Temple,' September 2002

Three Dalits were assaulted in the district of Kaimur in the state of Bihar for entering a Shiva temple.

Ravindra Ram, Badhu Ram and Waki Ram were dredging a pond in the village of Taritha when a sudden downpour prompted them to take shelter in a nearby temple. Members of the upper castes were furious though at the Dalit men for "soiling the purity of the temple." The Dalits were dragged out of the temple and beaten so
severely that they had to be taken to the hospital.

The villagers first approached the panchayat for justice, but in vain. The Dalits then sought help from officers at the local police station, which referred the case to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes cell of the Ramnagar police station. Although a case was registered last month, no action has been taken. The Dalits allege that the case has been hushed up with the help of an investigating officer who
belongs to the upper castes.

The three who were beaten have been offered bribes by the upper-caste lobby and have been threatened to force them to withdraw the case, said Faggu Ram, a resident of the village.

The Kaimur district magistrate has ordered that the property of the accused, who have absconded, be seized.

The Kaimur incident is just the latest in a string of atrocities against Dalits. In Phulwari District's Sandesh village, six Dalits were assaulted and refused entry to a Hindu temple in 1997. In 1998, a Dalit priest was kicked out of a Hindu temple in the village of Nagri in Bhojpur District by supporters of the Ranbir Sena. An FIR was lodged, but no action was taken. 

(Source: The Telegraph)

Dalit Woman Paraded Naked by Police, September 2002

A Dalit woman was allegedly paraded naked by police and tehsil (civil servant) employees in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh District on Sept. 20. The victim, who is a widow and works in Mumbai for the railroad, alleged that the police and tehsil employees paraded her naked before locking her in jail in the village of Katka Manapur along with two women relatives. In a complaint lodged with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission and the chief minister, the victim has alleged that she was kept in jail for a night.

The woman, who was released by a court the following day, said that the land on which her house was constructed had been allotted to someone else through a lease issued by the tahsildar. Despite there being a court stay on her eviction from the land, the police were trying to "forcibly evict her," she said. She demanded action against the SHO of the Antu police station and the tahsildar.

(Source: The Hindu)

Dalits, Seeking to Use Public Bath, Attacked by Upper-Caste Mob, September 2002

An upper-caste mob of about 10,000 people armed with swords, lathis (batons) and stones attacked a sadbhavana (harmony) rally organised by various social movements and CDHR against untouchability practices in the village of Chakwara in Jaipur District in the state of Rajasthan. The attack occurred in the presence of the police, who had to open fire to disperse the crowd.

On Sept. 20 and 21, 2002, about 3,000 Dalit women and men, along with human rights groups, organised a two-day padayatra, a peaceful march, to protest against the continuing social and economic boycott of the Bairwa community of Dalits in Chakwara. The upper caste Jats, Gujjars and Brahmins in the village began the boycott in December 2001 to penalise the Bairwas for violating a social taboo. The Dalits were demanding the right to use the ghats (a platform with steps), which is meant for bathing in the public pond in the village. In Chakwara, the Bairwa community is barred from bathing in the public pond and entering the temple. Bridegrooms are also not allowed to ride a horse, which is a local custom and privilege available to all.

On Dec. 14, 2001, during a drought in Rajasthan, Babulal and his brother from the Bairwa community ventured to take a bath in the public pond used by the privileged Jat and Brahmin communities. For this social offence, the village panchayat imposed a fine on the entire Bairwa community, branding the act a revolt. A mob surrounded Babulal's house and threatened a blood bath. The family informed the police, who arrived the next day. The upper castes held a meeting and imposed a fine of 50,000 rupees (US$ 1,042) on Babulal for breaking the tradition and compromising the dignity of the village by involving the administration. Unable to bear the continued threat of the upper castes, the Bairwas filed a report at the police station, naming 17 people as the accused.

There was no action taken though by the administration or the police. Consequently, the Bairwas approached the State Human Rights Commission, the chief minister and the district administration. The local police went to Chakwara and issued an order that the Dalits could bathe in the public pond. When the Dalits went to bathe on Jan. 24, 2002, however, they were chased away with lathis and sharp weapons.

Although the district administration and the state authorities have closed the case, the Dalits continue to be prevented from using the public pond. The Dalits in Chakwara are also barred from using the village ration shop, tea shop and other petty shops.

Because of this upper-caste boycott, CDHR and other human rights activists, social movements and organisations planned the two-day rally to bring the issue to the notice of the authorities. The rally began on Sept. 20 in the village of Chaksu, and the protesting Dalits and their supporters spent the night in the village of Madhavrajpura. The office of the local organisation Cecoedecon in Madhavrajpura was ransacked and its furniture destroyed for their participation in the rally.

The next day, when the Dalits and their supporters were about 15 kilometres from Chakwara, the police stopped them as a huge mob with weapons were coming toward them. After waiting for an hour under the hot sun, when they moved forward, the upper-caste rally pelted them with stones and attacked the Dalits and police.

(Source: International Dalit Solidarity Network)