Gujarat's commercial capital "tops" the list of murder, rape of Dalits: Compilation based on RTI plea to DGP

By A Representative
A fresh compilation, based on detailed right to information (RTI) replies on victims of caste violence in Gujarat, has revealed that Ahmedabad’s Dalits top the list of victims of caste violence compared to any other district. The data, which contain individual cases of those who have suffered caste violence, suggest that 38 Dalits were murdered in Ahmedabad district out of a total of 295 in Gujarat since 1991.
This is followed by Rajkot 32 murders, Surendranagar 26 murders, Junagardh 22 murders, Surat 21 murders, and so on.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s commercial capital, also tops the list of rapes cases, 90, out of 519 across Gujarat, the information, sought by a senior Dalit rights activist, Kantilal Parmar of Navsarjan Trust, suggests. Rajkot follows Gujarat with 59 rape cases, Anand 38, Surendranagar 32 rape cases,

Mehsana 25 rape cases, Junagarh 23 rape cases, and Patan 20 rape cases.

“Our aim of getting the information was to get compensation in each case. We wrote to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), with copies to state authorities, seeking compensation in each of the cases. Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit”, Parmar told me.

“A government order dated August 4, 2017 has been issued to provide cash compensation of Rs 4.12 lakh to the family of Rajeshbhai Becharbhai Parmar, who lived in Chandodia area, one of the 38 persons murdered in Ahmedabad”, he said, adding, “We hope more will follow.”

On August 11, 2017, another order by Gujarat’s social justice and empowerment department, asked director, scheduled caste welfare, to immediately work out rehabilitation of Dalits in Gujarat’s 295 villages, which are known to have experienced caste violence.

As far as social boycott cases are concerned, the data show, Bhavnagar district tops the list with 15 incidents, followed by nine each in Botad and Rajkot districts, seven in Vadodara district, five each in Banaskantha and Surendranagar districts, and three in Ahmedabad district.
Surprisingly, despite fewer number of social boycotts in Ahmedabad, the district experienced the highest number of forced migration cases – eight.
While an equal number of forced migration instances happened in Rajkot district, too, Banaskathan followed with seven cases, Patan five cases, Amreli and Anand districts three cases each, and so on. In all, Gujarat experienced 75 cases of social boycott and 49 cases of forced migration by Dalit groups because of caste violence, the data reveal.

“We have told in our plea to the NHRC that monetary compensation, though necessary, is not enough for rehabilitating Dalits who have suffered caste violence”, Parmar said, adding, “We have simultaneously demanded allocation of agricultural land to each victim, government job to an adult in the family, housing facility, and so on.”

Parmar, however, regretted, the state apparatus, especially the police establishment, has refused to part with all the information on caste violence, “one reason why the total number of individuals cases we have been given is far fewer than the National Crime Record Bureau figures.”
Parmar further said, “There was considerable delay in providing RTI information. While the application was filed about 10 months ago, the office of the Director-General of Police sent applications to respective district police heads and city police commissioners.”

He added, “While a few of the district police offices provided information, others, like Porbandar and Bhavnagar, replied to us that it was an impossible task, asking us to approach individual police stations. This led us to gather information from local sources.”

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

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.

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

Counterview

Search This Blog