Scheduled Castes: status, issues (post-1947)
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Scheduled castes
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SC certificates for Christians
Church-going dalit cannot be denied SC certificates: HC
A Subramani,TNN | Dec 27, 2013
CHENNAI: There is no rationale in denying scheduled caste (SC) certificate and other benefits to a church-going dalit, the Madras high court has said.
A division bench comprising Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice T S Sivagnanam, passing orders on a person whose application for SC certificate was rejected by a sub-collector in Puducherry, said going to church could seldom be considered a valid reason to reject the application.
"For deciding the community status, the factors that are to be verified are whether the person is suffering from any kind of social and economic disability and whether the scheduled caste Hindus in the locality are treating the person as one among themselves," they said.
Noting that the sub-collector got carried away by the VAO's report and rejected M Jayaraj alias Ramajayam's claim, the judges said: "Rejection of community/social status community certificate to deserving person will deny his valuable rights guaranteed under the Constitution and attaches civil consequences."
The report merely stated that the Jayaraj was often visiting the church in Othiyampattu village.
The judges said the sub-collector was bound to conduct a proper inquiry and could take a decision only after affording opportunity of hearing to the applicant. Pointing out that such a procedure had not been followed in the present case, they set aside the impugned order dated June 21, 2011. The court also restored the application of Jayaraj and asked the officials to consider the matter afresh and pass fresh orders within four weeks.
2014: Crimes against SCs
The Times of India, Oct 22 2015
Bharti Jain
Over 47k crimes against Dalits in 2014, 21 killed in Haryana: NCRB
Rahul Gandhi may claim Dalits are being increasingly targeted under NDA but National Crime Re cords Bureau statistics for the last few years of the UPA's term show crimes against scheduled castes rose almost steadily to 47,064 in 2014 from 39,408 in 2013 (a rise of 19%), 33,655 in 2012 (17%), 33,719 in 2011, 32,712 in 2010 and 33,594 in 2009.
Last year, as many as 744 Dalits were murdered, up from 676 in 2013, 651 in 2012, 673 in 2011, 570 in 2010 and 624 in 2009. Haryana, where the Congress government led by Hooda was in office till October last year, 21 people belonging to the SC community were murdered in 2014. In fact, the rate of such crimes surpassed the national average in as many as 10 states both in 2014 (23.4 per lakh of their population), and 2013 (19.57). Rate of crime against SCs means number of crimes reported against SCs per one lakh of their population.
Rapes of Dalit women stood at 2,233 in 2014, up from 2,073 in 2013, 1,576 in 2012, 1,557 in 2011, 1,349 in 2010 and 1,346 in 2009. Kidnappings and abductions too went up, barring in 2012 which saw a marginal decline. Against 755 kidnappingsabductions in 2014, there were 628 in 2013, 490 in 2012, 616 in 2011, 511 in 2010 and 512 in 2009.
2013, ’14: rape of SC women
Haryana: Dalit Rise Upper Castes' Envy
The Times of India, October 22, 2015
Subodh Ghildiyal
Dalit rise upper castes' envy in Haryana
Dominant Class Unable To Accept Changing Social Order In Mirchpur and Gohana, altercations between Jats and Dalits resulted in mobs razing down and burning Dalit houses, medieval style. No one died in Gohana but 50 houses were torched by a 1,000-strong mob. But Mirchpur saw a lynch mob set on fire a handicapped girl and her grandfather in their house, like Faridabad. In Sunped, Rajputs settled scores with Dalits. At the root of the brutal crimes is the newfound independence of Dalits and a questioning of the status quo. Observers say the brutal retribution inflicted by the upper castes is aimed to deliver a strong reminder to Dalits on who dominates socially . KaramvirBaudh, an activist in Haryana, said, “Jobs and small businesses are a growing trend among SCs. Cars and good houses in their neighbourhoods are visible. They refuse to work in landlords' fields.It is enough of a provocation.“ If the fault lines existed for ages, its incendiary eruption in medieval lynchings and immolations in the last decade re sults from fearless assertion by Dalits riding on job reservations and market economy . “The dominant peasant proprietors who were used to having their way are unable to take the resistance from Dalits.That is leading to brutality ,“ said Yogendra Yadav, a sociologist with roots in Haryana. The questioning of status quo is the trigger. And the op pressor changes with the turf, it could be Jats in Rohtak, Yadavs in Mahendragarh, Rajputs and OBC Rors in Yamunanagar. Dr Gulshan, who heads the Ambedkar missionaries society in Rohtak, recounted how every atrocity was accompanied by the incredulous “ek SC ne aisakardiya“ -it could refer to refusal to work in landlords' fields or challenging the harassment of a Dalit girl. “In a wrestling game, the taunt is that you lost to a Dalit boy,“ he said, talking about provocation. Sexual assault of Dalits has emerged as a new weapon to assert domination. Haryana, according to the NCRB, ranks seventh in assaults on SC women, fourth in sexual harassment, sixth in rapes.