'Withdraw political cases, apologise': Gujarat Dalits put off lights May 1 in 1100 villages

In a symbolic protest, Dalit households of as many as 1,100 villages across Gujarat switched off lights on the state’s foundation day, May 1, for 15 minutes at 9:00 pm to demand that all the political cases against not only top Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani, who happens to be a Gujarat MLA, but also against Dalit, Adivasi and minority individuals be withdrawn as part of general amnesty.
Originally planned to express anger against the manner of arrest of Mevani, who was taken away by Assam police with the active support of Gujarat police on the basis of an FIR filed against a tweet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the protest was converted into the demand to end atrocities against Dalits and other marginalised communities.

A memorandum, addressed to Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, demanded that the “political party responsible for the abusive treatment meted out to the Hon'ble MLA of Gujarat, Jigneshbhai Mevani, should apologize to the Dalit voters of Gujarat and India.”
Veteran Dalit leader Martin Macwan, the main brain behind the programme, told Counterview, “Apart from the demand to take back politically motivated cases against marginalised communities in the same way as cases were withdrawn against those allegedly involved in the 2015 Patidar agitation in Ahmedabad, we demanded, end of untouchability in the state.”

Even as taking strong exception to the “insulting” and “anti-Dalit” behaviour against Mevani, which allegedly could not have happened without the consent of the party in power, the memorandum said, it was shameful that even 22 years after Gujarat became a separate state, untouchabililty continues to exist the state’s social fabric, with those in power doing next to nothing to end caste discrimination.
Macwan, who took present during the unique protest move in Asamali village, about 65 kilometres south of Ahmedabad, said, the memorandum was submitted to the lowest level official, talati, in each of the 1,100 villages, or to the panchayat chief, to be forwarded to the chief minister. “There were cases when talatis refused to accept the memorandum, hence it was handed over to the panchayat chiefs”, he said.

Before submitting the memorandum, Dalits, who gathered in groups in each of the 1,100 villages with Dr BR Ambedkar’s photos in hands after they switched off the lights in their houses, pledging to defend the Constitution of India, which insisted on social equality and ushering in a society free of untouchability and caste discrimination.

Comments

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead.

Just 5% Gujarat Dalit households 'recognise' social reformers who inspired Ambedkar

An interesting survey conducted across 22 districts and 32 villages in Gujarat sheds light on the representation of key social reformers in Dalit households. It suggests that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was displayed in a majority of homes, images of Lord Buddha and the 19th-century reformist couple, Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule, were not as commonly represented.

Search This Blog