Skip to main content

NHRC asks Gujarat authorities to submit action taken report on social boycott of Dalits in four weeks

NHRC chairman KG Balakrishnan
By Our Representative
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking cognisance of the social boycott of Dalits of Dagavadia village in Mehsana district of North Gujarat, has sought a complete action taken report (ATR) by the state authorities of the Gujarat government on what has been done to assuage feelings of caste discrimination in the village. The report, the NHRC has insisted, should reach its office “within four weeks” on receipt its notice. The NHRC, which sent its notice to the district magistrate, Mehsana, on December 20, said action taken by the state authorities should be “appropriate.”
The NHRC has based its inquiry on a complaint filed by Dalit rights NGO Navsarjan Trust’s Kantibhai Parmar to its chairman, KG Balakrishanan, which said “immediate action” was needed in the case of “human rights violation of the scheduled caste people of Dagavadia village.” It added, the social boycott has been forced upon the Dalits of the village following a minor dispute between two youths of the village, which led to clash between Dalits and locally dominant and influential Chaudhary community in late October.
This led to “tension” in the village, the complaint said, adding, “The Dalits, who are in minority, began being ostracised by the dominant Chaudhary community. The ostracisation reached such a level that the Dalits are refused work on the nearby farms, nor can they buy foodgrains and other essential items from the local ration shop.” Tension was allowed to raise its head despite the fact that the fathers of the two youths, who were involved in a dispute on a “minor issue”, had sorted out and settled things.
Setting aside the compromise, Kantibhai Makwana, the Dalit boy's father, who is also a former sarpanch, was attacked. “A mob of around 100-150 people of the Chaudhary community gathered in front of his house and started pelting stones. He was badly injured and had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance. An FIR was registered with the Vasai police station against five Chaudharys and several others, including deputy sarpanch Ketan Chaudhary. The five were arrested and are currently in jail”, the complaint to Balakrishnan said.
Meanwhile, the complaint said, one Ashwin, a Chaudhary, also lodged a complaint with the police against the Dalits for attacking his community on October 24. “Ashwin's FIR names five Dalits, including Kantibhai, his two sons and two others. While Kantibhai got anticipatory bail, the four Dalit youths have gone underground. Dagavadia is a village with a population of around 3,000, dominated by Chaudharys. Dalits are in thin minority, comprising only around 30-35 homes”, it added.
Things began further worsened when, on November 8, the Chaudharys held a community meeting in the village, in which they decided to ostracize the Dalits in their village and impose a fine of Rs 5,001 on any Chaudhary who violated this decision. The Dalits are not getting work in farms, owned by them (Chaudharys). When some of us went to farms in nearby villages in search of work, the Chaudharys here wielded their influence to stonewall our chances of getting work.
The complaint quotes several Dalits complaining about social boycott. Hansaben Makwana, a former sarpanch of the village, said, "We (Dalits) are not even allowed to enter the village temple. Following the decision, taken orally by the Chaudharys, none of the owners of the provision stores, barring a few, give us daily ration. Those who do, do so secretly. Even the local barbers here refuse to cut the hair of a dalit man." Jagdishkumar Parmar, another Dalit, said, "I was a witness in the complaint lodged by Kantibhai's son. When they found out, they threatened me. I am a school teacher, but my family members are no longer getting farm labour-work."

Comments

TRENDING

Junk food push causing severe public health crisis of obesity, diabetes in India: Report

By Rajiv Shah  A new report , “The Junk Push: Rising Consumption of Ultra-processed foods in India- Policy, Politics and Reality”, public health experts, consumers groups, lawyers, youth and patient groups, has called upon the Government of India to check the soaring consumption of High Fat Sugar or Salt (HFSS) foods or ultra-processed foods (UPF), popularly called junk food.

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Astonishing? Violating its own policy, Barclays 'refinanced' Adani Group's $8 billion bonds

By Rajiv Shah  A new report released by two global NGOs, BankTrack and the Toxic Bonds Network, has claimed to have come up with “a disquieting truth”: that Barclays, a financial heavyweight with a “controversial” track record, is deeply entrenched in a “disturbing” alliance with “the Indian conglomerate and coal miner Adani Group.”

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.