More Gujarat Dalit protests planned in next fortnight, starting Aug 21 rally in Gandhinagar on Thangarh police firing

Thangarh victims' families on dharna in Gandhinagar

By A Representative
Following the successful completion of the Dalit mega rally on August 15, held to protest against the July 11 flogging of four youths belonging to the Rohit (chamar) sub-caste in Una for skinning dead cattle, Gujarat Dalits have planned at least half-a-dozen major protests across the state over the next one fortnight, starting with August 21 in the state capital, Gandhinagar.
Organized by the Anusuchit Jati Agyachar Sangharsh Samiti (Scheduled Castes Committee against Atrocities), the Gandhinagar rally's main focus is proposed is to be the Gujarat government's decision to “close” the cases of the death of three Dalit youths in police firing in September 2012 in Thangadh town of Surendranagar district.
Already, what is called a “c-summary” report has been filed by the police, saying that the firing – which took place for two days, September 22-23, 2012 – took place “accidentally” during a scuffle of the protesting Dalits with the cops.
The rally acquires significance, as the family of the Dalit youths who died in the police firing are have gone on a protest sit-in (dharna) over the last one fortnight demanding justice. Already, senior Gujarat-based Dalit activists of Navsarjan Trust have represented to the Gujarat government to reopen the case and hand it over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
In a recent letter to the Gujarat chief minister, senior activist Kirit Rathod simultaneously wanted the 2013 inquiry report on the police firing by IAS official Sanjay Prasad to be made public, as it allegedly reveals what led to the death the three Dalit youths.
The rally is being held against the backdrop of efforts by senior ministers under the new Gujarat government of chief minister Vijay Rupani asking the protesters to withdraw their demands, going so far as to call the families sitting on dharna in Gandhinagar late in the night for a “reasonable settlement.”
Called by social justice and empowerment minister Atmaram Parmar at his residence for a compromise formula, the families, however, refused to budge.
The spot where the families are sitting on dharna has been termed “Satyagraha Chhavni”, a spot holding protests in order to demand justice. After attending the Una rally, activists from across India visited this spot meet the protesting families.
One of them, Kavita Krishnan, leader the All-India Progressive Women's Association, after visiting the spot, said, “Three boys – Pankaj Sumra, 17, Mehul Rathod, 16, and Prakash Parmar, 27 – were part of a protest demonstration at the thana against violence by the dominant caste, when police fired on them and killed them.”
Krishnan insisted, “The post mortem showed bullets to the chest – clearly firing wasn't intended to disperse the crowd but to kill for daring to challenge casteist violence. A One Man Inquiry Commission was appointed by then chief minister Narendra Modi in 2012 which submitted its report to the Govt on May 1, 2013.”
But Krishnan regretted, the government “is yet to make the report public or do anything to punish the policemen who killed the three. The struggle for justice goes on.” Other activists who visited with her included Manoj Manzil, Abhishek Parmar and Tushar Parmar, “expressing” solidarity.
Another protest is being organized by Rajesh Solanki, a radical activist of the Dalit Hak Rakshak Manch (DHRM). Starting on August 29, again focusing on Thangadh, it would begin in Junagadh, and it would end on September 2 in Ahmedabad. It would pass through Parabdi, Dhoraji, Jetpur, Virpur, Gondal, Rajkot, Tankara, Morbi, Surendranagar, Limdi, Bagodra, Dholka and Bavla.
Yet another major protest would be organized by Dalit activists from Saurashtra in Rajkot on August 31. Already, preparatory meetings are being held at different spots in several of the towns of the region for holding the rally, in which, among others, top Dalit rights activist Martin Macwan, founder, Navsarjan Trust, will speak.

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

What Epstein Files reveal about power, privilege and a system that protects abuse

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is not merely the story of an individual offender or an isolated circle of accomplices. The material emerging from the Epstein files points to structural conditions that allow abuse to flourish when combined with power, privilege and wealth. Rather than a personal aberration, the case illustrates how systems can create environments in which exploitation becomes easier to conceal and harder to challenge.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Beyond the rhetoric: Gujarat’s 2047 promise and its hidden faultlines

By Rajiv Shah A few days ago, I met a veteran Gujarat-based economist, the author of several books offering a critical evaluation of the state’s economy, poverty, and gender discrimination . Also present was a retired Gujarat-cadre bureaucrat with an economics background, known for his popularity in the cities and districts where he served during his heyday.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

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

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah 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".

Search This Blog