Ahead of Gujarat Dalit atrocity cases hearing, NHRC told: State officials failed to respond to 30 "listed" complaints

By A Representative
In what is being considered as a clear case of failure to investigate anti-atrocity cases, a senior Dalit rights activist has revealed that, in a large number of cases, Gujarat government officials have been refusing to send replies required by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking reports on progress made in bringing culprit to books. Some of the cases are as old as 2013, while others are more recent, of 2018.
Listing 30 cases which he filed before NHRC, ranging from murder and rape to social boycott and forced migration, the activist, Kantibhai U Parmar, in a representation to NHRC chairman HL Dattu, visiting Gujarat on April 26-27 for an open hearing session, has said, the officials who failed to respond to NHRC queries should be asked to remain present at the Police Academy, Karai, off Gandhinagar, Gujarat capital, where the hearing is proposed.
Of the 30 cases listed, claims Parmar, the only issue to be taken up at the "open hearing" is regarding the complaint to the principal secretary, education, Gujarat government, which alleges that there no representative of SC/ST community in any of the committees of the Gujarat education board. In this case, NHRC has directed the senior official to remain present with reply at the open hearing at Karai along with the requisite report.
Parmar has written the letter in response to an NHRC communique, posted on its website, which asks all those who have raised problems and grievances of scheduled castes and tribes (SC and ST) regarding atrocities committed by a public servant or of negligence by them, to send their complaints in advance, so that these could be taken up at the open hearing, to be chaired by Dattu.

Kantilal Parmar

The list prepared by Parmar and sent to Dattu includes 14 about which he had lodged complaints to NHRC in 2017, eight this year, while the rest between 2013 and 2016. In each of these complaints, Parmar says, while NHRC is found to have sought answers from concerned officials, the officials have have failed to respond on what action, if at all, they have taken, as demanded by NHRC.
Parmar's list includes the case of the death of a manhole worker due to suffocation of October 2013 in which the NHRC had sought report from the district police chief, Gandhinagar, within four weeks, and yet there is no response even though five years have passed. In 2017, following a similar incident of manhole death of Dharmesh and Anil Purabiya in Sector 19, Gandhinagar, NHRC had sought report from the district collector and police chief, yet they have not responded.
Things were found to be not very different in the case of manhole death of Jasubhai Gangdiya in Vejalpur's Ashapura Society,Ahmedabad. Despite the fact that NHRC had sought action taken report from the Commissioner of Police and the Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad, none of them have responded even though a year has passed. Similarly, there is no response following the death of four sanitary workers in safety tank in Jetpur, Rajkot district.
Then, there is the case of forced migration of a family in 2015, on which the Amreli district police chief was asked to send report, again within four weeks, yet there is no response, though three years have passed. The family was forced to migrate following the rape of a minor Dalit girl, says Parmar, and the Amreli authorities were asked as to how much time it would take for them to respond, and whether the matter has been examined at all.
The situation, Parmar's list shows, is the same with regard to another forced migration case of Patan district, or of Botad district, where Dalits faced social boycott and forced migration from village Malpur, or of social boycott of Dalits in Mehsana district.

NHRC chairman Dattu

Other cases listed include death of eight Dalits due to gas bottle blast in Amreli district,death of 20 children in Asarva Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, due to "negligence" of doctors; and of Jiviben, a native of Kutch district, who also died allegedly due to doctors' negligence in Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad.
Parmar also lists case of suicide by a midday meal scheme administrator because of harassment by school teachers in Mehsana district; murder of a Dalit youth in Porbandar district; death of Jigneshbhai Sondhrva in an Amreli district jail; Bharat Gohel burnt alive in Veraval in Gir-Somnath district; and murder of a Dalit youth Mihir Kanubhai Jadav in Ahmedabad district.
The cases listed further include Dalits' failure access to food from public distribution system in Chanch Bandar village in Rajula, Amreli district; harassment of retired teacher Gangaben Somabhai Rathava, who had sought clearance of papers regarding pension from Chhota Udepur district education authorities; and refusal to permit Dalit village chief to hoist national flag in a Saurashtra village.

Comments

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

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.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

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...

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...

Search This Blog