Skip to main content

Gujarat's saffron brigade "attacks" NGO, files FIR for offering sweeper's job to dominant castes, unreserved

By Our Representative
An advertisement issued on April 6, 2016 by Ahmedabad-based NGO, Human Development and Resource Centre (HDRC), has turned into a full-blown controversy in Gujarat, with persons alleged to be owing allegiance to the Sangh Parivar forcing their way into the HDRC building, pelting stones, breaking its windows, and damaging flower pots.
The advertisement by HDRC, formerly Behavioral Science Centre, situated on St Xavier’s College campus, Ahmedabad,  was for the post of safai karmacharis (sweepers), insisting that it would give preference to the "unreserved category".
An HRDC note, following the attack, said, “Some people file a complaint against human rights activist Prasad Chacko, director HDRC, under IPC 153 A, inciting communal and caste unrest.”
The advertisement, mentioned names of the castes whose members could apply for the job – Brahmins, Baniya, Patels, Jains, Saiyed, Pathans, Syrian Christians and Parsis. However, commented HDRC, "This has turned into a communal and caste issue.”
Blaming the attack on the HDRC building on “allies of the RSS and other Sangh Parivar affiliates like Brahmo Samaj, Police Lok Seva Raskshak Samiti and some members of the Patel community”, HRDC said, they “began protesting” on Tuesday, with around “50 people entering the campus, terrorizing people and trying to damage the area.” 
The action, it said, continued on Wednesday in the presence of media, when physical harm was to objects. “A leader of the Brahmin community has also targeted the HDRC and ensured that charges are put against them”, it added.
HRDC said, the advertisement was released without “any ill-intention”, but regretted, “The reaction to it very clearly indicates that certain elements in the society will go to any extent to maintain the caste hierarchies and the discriminations.”
HDRC insisted, “The job of a sweeper is mostly given to the lowest castes in the society, Dalits, OBCs, those at the bottom of the caste pyramid across different religions. The discrimination against certain castes is perpetuated by various means and any attempts at trying to break that, is met with threat and intimidation by dominant castes.”
Pointing out that is “the worst feature of the caste society, and instead of finding ways to challenge it, it is being taken as something that has to be preserved”, HRDC said, “It is unfortunate to see that an advertisement to invite candidates from the general category for a sweeping job has turned into a crime and an FIR has been lodged against the HDRC director.”
Wanting to know on what basis police has resorted to such a tactic, HRDC said, the attack “Clearly, implies that the social order of caste system persists and cleaning work is to be performed in accordance with the social order, meaning untouchables have to do cleaning and serve.”
“A change of faith and religion does not guarantee freedom from menial work of sweeping. The continuance of this system can in no way define social harmony and peace”, it added.
Meanwhile, the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), an apex body of tens of mass organizations headed by well-known social activist Medha Patkar has demand that the “charges filed against HDRC and the director Chacko be withdrawn, and instead FIR be registered against the people who have spread hooliganism on the campus.”

Comments

Siddhartha said…
I do understand the point of keeping the job of sweeper - caste free, and it is also important to do so. But also the exercise of mentioning so called upper classes also defeats the purpose making work caste free. In fact this increases the antagonism between the castes.
Anonymous said…
No Siddhartha My Suggestion is Let some " Dominant Caste " should start doing as practice
Uma said…
Will the saffron brigade help the so-called upper castes to get jobs if they are destitute? Of course not! But they will stop them from getting any job so they can live with dignity. That is how lop-sided their thinking is.

TRENDING

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

Central pollution watchdog sees red in Union ministry labelling waste to energy green

By Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran*  “Destructors”, “incinerators” and “waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration” all mean the same thing – indiscriminate burning of garbage! Having a history of about one and a half centuries, WTE incinerators have seen several reboots over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”

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. 

Indo-Bangla border: Farmers facing 'illegal obstacles' in harvesting, transporting yields

  Counterview Desk  In a representation to the chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, human rights defender Kirity Roy, who is secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has said that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are creating "illegal obstacles" for farmers seeking to harvest their ripened yields and transport them to the market in village Jhaukuthi of Cooch Behar district.

Wasteland, a colonial legacy, being used to 'give away' vast tracts to Ratnagiri refinery

By Fouziya Tehzeeb* William D’Souza, a 55-year old farmer from Kuthethur, Mangalore, was busy mixing cattle feed when we arrived at his doorsteps. Around 25 km from the bustling city of Mangalore, Kuthethur is a lush green village with thick vegetation. On the way to William’s house the idyllic view gets blocked by the flares and smoke arising from the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

CAA disregards India's inclusive plural ethos, 'betrays' ideals of freedom struggle: PUCL

Counterview Desk    "Outraged" at the move of the Central government to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) weeks before the election, the top rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has demanded that the law be repealed. 

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".

Sections of BSF, BGB personnel 'directly or indirectly' involved in cross border smuggling

By Kirity Roy*  The Border Security Force (BSF) of India and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) of Bangladesh met for 54th Director General level meeting at Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 5th to 9th March, 2024 to discuss on minimizing killings at border area, illegal intrusion, trafficking of drugs and other narcotics, smuggling of arms and ammunitions and other crimes at bordering areas. Further, the summit had an agenda to discuss on overall development in 150 yards area at both sides of the border and design an activity plan for the same.