Skip to main content

As Bharat Bandh takes off, "Brahminical" attitude of BJP blamed for apex court ruling on anti-atrocities Act

Bharat Bandh: Madhya Pradesh
By A Representative
Even as the national call for action Bharat bandh against the Supreme Court allegedly diluting provisions of the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Prevention of Atrocities (POA) Act takes off, India's premier civil society network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) has said that the apex court judgment is in line with what the "Brahminical attitude of the BJP governments at the Centre and several states of India."
Demanding immediate action against the apex court ruling, which says that the POA Act is being "misused" to blackmail innocent individuals, NAPM in a statement has said that there is an urgent need to improve the "criminal justice system" in order to "ensure better implementation of the POA Act and conviction of perpetrators of atrocities on Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims."
NAPM regrets, the apex court ruling comes at a time "when abuses and atrocities against Dalits, Adivasis and Minorities have increased manifold, with the saffronized governments both at the Centre and in many states is looking the other way round." It adds, "Instead of containing these atrocities, regressive forces are relentlessly undermining the democratic right of reservation to the oppressed sections."
NAPM says, the March 20 order of the division bench of the Supreme Court, "diluting the already weakly implemented PoA Act, 1989, is nothing short of a direct attack on a piece of legislation that tries to uphold our constitutional ethos of protection of marginalized sections."
NAPM says, the fact is, the need for "a specific Central atrocities Act attained fruition in 1989 after protracted struggles, because even four decades since independence and an equal Constitution, brutal everyday crimes against Dalits and Adivasis remained largely unreported, unaddressed and unpunished."
According to NAPM, "Instead of looking at the entirety of the mounting atrocities and status of implementation of the Act, reflected even by the National Crime Record Bueau's (NCRBs) own data, the apex court chose to selectively issue guidelines on the need to 'safeguard innocent persons against false implication and unnecessary arrest'."
Bharat Bandh: Jamnagar district, Gujarat
It said that (a) FIR should not be filed without preliminary inquiry, to be completed within a week, and report must give reasons when permission is given for registration of FIR, (b) even if preliminary inquiry is held and a case is registered, arrest is not necessary, (c) no public servant is to be arrested without written permission of appointing authority, and (d) no person accused under the Act can be arrested without the written permission of the district police authorities.
NAPM believes, "In a land where registration of FIR is still a challenge for the oppressed and marginalized, what to speak of charge sheets and convictions, this judgement, based on partial reading of the NCRB data and prejudice, if not set aside, is bound to cause serious damage to the dignity and well-being of lakhs of Dalits and Adivasis across the country, who despite a POA Act are exposed to humiliation and hate crimes."
Pointing out that the data put forward by the apex court "is only a minuscule reflection of the large number of actual crimes across the country", NAPM quotes from the 2017 NCRB report, which reveals that the number of cases reported under the PoA Act rose by 5.5% to reach 40,801 in 2016. "In 2016, Uttar Pradesh (10,426 cases) reported the highest number of cases of atrocities against SCs, accounting for 25.6% of the total, followed by Bihar with 14% (5,701 cases) and Rajasthan with 12.6% (5,134 cases)."
Especially referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, NAPM say, "The conviction rate of crimes against SCs and STs is way below the national average in Vibrant Gujarat, which despite the Una uprising is witness to gruesome atrocities to this day, including the killing of a Dalit man in Bhavnagar district for riding a horse!"
It further says, "The disposal of cases by police and courts reveal that under the POA Act, 11,060 cases were taken up for investigation in 2016, but the charge-sheeting rate was 77%, the conviction rate was 15.4%, while the pendency percentage was 90.5%. The data clearly shows how difficult it is to access and obtain justice within the Brahminical system which is deep within the administration as well as every sphere of life."
In support of Bharat Bandh:
Viramgam, Ahmedabad district
"While different parties such as the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Republican Party of India (RPI) have already filed separate review petitions against the Supreme Courts order, we think the Central government must immediately file a categorical review petition, praying that no dilution to the Act be permitted", NAPM says.
"The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) have also conveyed their views and demanded a review of the verdict, saying the original Act, as it existed before the apex court verdict, should be restored. We demand that Parliament must discuss this issue urgently and come up with solutions to prevent any dilution of the Act", insists NAPM.
The statement has been signed, among others, by well-known social activist Medha Patkar, former Sonia Gandhi adviser and Right to Information campaigner Aruna Roy, and Goldman Environmental prize (also known as Green Nobel) winner Prafulla Samantara, among about 50 top civil rights leaders.

Comments

Urvashi Devi said…
Can't understand why you all keep blaming the BJP ? It's been like this for decades . I can recall that in my grand mother's elections (maharani Gayatri Devi )one of things we went on and on about treating Dalits like human beings . In Rajasthan they couldn't use the same well , we used to drink water in a Dalit home just to say it's alright . So it's not the BJP it's the ancient mindset
April 02, 2018
Post a Comment

TRENDING

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan   A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...
Post a Comment
»

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative   A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.
Post a Comment
»

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan  The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh. 
Post a Comment
»

Investment in rule of law a corporate imperative, not charity: Business, civil society leaders

By A Representative   In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the Unmute podcast series, examined the intrinsic link between ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global Rule of Law Index .
Post a Comment
»

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah  Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.
Post a Comment
»

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative   India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.
Post a Comment
»

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy*  The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.
Post a Comment
»

Can global labour demand absorb India’s growing workforce?

By N.S. Venkataraman*  Over the past eleven years, India has claimed significant economic growth , emerging as the world’s fourth-largest economy. With the Government of India continuing to pursue economic and industrial development initiatives, this growth momentum is expected to continue in the medium term.
Post a Comment
»

ArcelorMittal faces global scrutiny for retreat from green steel, job cuts, and environmental violations

By  Jag Jivan    ArcelorMittal is facing mounting criticism after cancelling or delaying nearly all of its major green steel projects across Europe, citing an “unsupportive policy environment” from the European Union . The company has shelved projects in Germany , Belgium , and France , while leaving the future of its Spanish decarbonisation plan uncertain. The decision comes as global unions warn that more than 5,500 jobs are at risk across its operations, including 4,000 in South Africa , 1,400 in Europe, and 160 in Canada .
Post a Comment
»