Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 07.06.11
Midday meals cooked by dalits go waste - The Times Of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Article/articleshow/8755038.cms
Dalits in Villoor living in fear, says report - Express Buzz
http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/dalits-in-villoor-living-in-fear-says-report/281834.html
Dalits stand up against 'anti-Brahmin' book - Pune Mirror
The Times Of India
Midday meals cooked by dalits go waste
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Article/articleshow/8755038.cms
Akshaya Mukul, TNN | Jun 7, 2011, 04.24am IST
NEW DELHI: A dalit chief minister in Mayawati has not changed the deep-seated caste bias in schools of Uttar Pradesh. In 40% schools of Shahjehanpur, Badaun and Pilibhit districts, teachers do not taste the mid-day meal food and students refuse to eat it since the cooks belong to lower caste.
The rot in MDM in these three districts is not confined to caste bias alone. It has also been found that in schools of urban areas of these three districts roti and green vegetables are never given, in 80% schools there is difference between the number of actual students present in the class and the number of students who are shown to be availing of MDM. Also, in most of the schools in urban areas there are no utensils.
In rural areas of these districts, MDM supplies of 95% of the schools are kept at the pradhan's house from where they are brought to the school every day for cooking.
The report on three districts was prepared by Lucknow University's department of education. It was discussed, along with another report on Maharajganj district, in the MDM's Project Advisory Board meeting last month in the HRD ministry. The Centre has now asked the UP government to look into the matter and send a report by July 31.
The report said that in the three districts upper primary school children take less mid-day meal than those in the primary sections because the "upper primary children belonging to general category are more aware of caste system and do not like to take mid-day meal prepared by SC cooks".
The report said in 10% schools of rural areas of these districts, village pradhans do not give the required quantity of food grain for cooking mid-day meal. It also said that in 95% schools of these districts children bring their own utensils. Also, non-iodised salt is used in 5% of schools and 30% schools used wood for cooking mid-day meals.
Another report – prepared by GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, and Lucknow University – based on a survey of 110 schools of Maharajganj district said that MDM was not served in 50% of the sample schools.
Express Buzz
Dalits in Villoor living in fear, says report
http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/dalits-in-villoor-living-in-fear-says-report/281834.html
Last Updated : 07 Jun 2011 07:32:10 AM IST
MADURAI: Dalits in riot-torn Villoor village fear more attacks by caste Hindus once the police protection in the area was reduced, said a report from People's Union for Human Rights (PUHR).
A fact-finding team comprising A Marx and Rajini from PUHR and K Sukumaran from People Rights' Federation in Puducherry visited the village on May 28 and studied the aftermath of the riots.
According to them, the Dalits were paranoid about future attacks as anger was still simmering against them among caste Hindus. The report said there were possibilities of attacks on Dalits, especially on the family of Murugan.
Taking note of a significant change in police approach this time around, the report said the department took the right decision during the latest incident when compared to the police action of 2010. Also, top police officials camped in the village and gave out warnings that any form of untouchability would not be tolerated. Also, only members of the community that instigated violence were arrested, unlike the usual practice of arresting those belonging to both the communities involved in riots. Key police officials hailing from other States and who did not belong to any local community were responsible for this change in approach, the report said. Despite police coming under villagers' attack, Superintendent of Police (SP) Asra Garg remained unruffled and even in police firing there was no loss of life. This was in contrast to similar incidents that occurred in the State earlier. The PUHR report also compared the situation with that at Irayur in Villupuram district some two years ago, where an SP shot dead two persons without any warning once the riots were over.
The fact-finding team said the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was enforced for the first time during the recent attacks, though untouchability was prevalent in Villoor for years together. The report also blamed the government for not implementing the Act strictly.
Pune Mirror
Dalits stand up against 'anti-Brahmin' book
Five prominent Dalits have filed a police complaint against Puroshottam Khedekar's book, saying it is 'anti-constitutional and derogatory to Brahmins'
Devidas Deshpande
Posted On Tuesday, June 07, 2011 at 12:53:00 AM
While Brahmins are still contemplating legal action against Puroshottam Khedekar's controversial book, prominent Dalits across the city who had filed a complaint with the police on May 18, are now demanding that it should be turned into a first information report (FIR). However, the police are sitting pretty and have done nothing about the complaint.
The controversy surrounding Khedekar's book Shivrayanchya Badnamichi Kendre has been going on for a while. Last week, a meeting was organised by the Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Mahasangh in the city to condemn the book.
The speakers included veteran Sanskrit scholar Vasant Gadgil. Govind Kulkarni, president of the organisation, told Pune Mirror, "This time, we are asking the governor to act in this regard.
There is no use approaching the government because they are hand-in-glove with Maratha organisations. At the time of Dadoji Konddev's statue removal, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised to meet us, but till date, he has done nothing.
Kulkarni added that the community members are also thinking about approaching the High Court to ban the book, but it depends on the stand taken by the Governor. A delegation of the organisation will meet the Governor, present him with a set of Khedekar's books and ask him to take action.
Khedekar has written some 30 books with content against our community. We ignored them, thinking that this is a lunatic tendency. However, it is now turning into a Goebbels' pattern — to turn lies into truth," he added.
While Brahmins are yet to take that final decision of filing a complaint, five Dalits, including academicians and activists, registered a complaint with then Joint Police Commissioner Ashok Dhiware against Khedekar, who is president of Maratha Seva Sangh and his book.
Professor Hari Narke, head of the Mahatma Jotiba Phule chair at the University of Pune and Sanjay Sonawani, author of 62 books in Marathi, are among those who signed the application. They are joined by Dalit activists Madhukar Ramteke, Sham Satpute and Bhupal Patwardhan.
According to them, Khedekar has made certain obscene and malicious observations in his new book and even exhorted his followers to carry out systematic riots in the state. The complaint says, 'Khedekar has in his book appealed to his organisation members to carry out systematic riots against Brahmins. This is anti-constitutional.
In the same book,he has written about Brahmin women in the most derogatory language. All this deserves stringent legal action.' Surekha Lokhande, leader of the Republican Party of India, even met Home Minister R R Patil to take action against the book.
The complaint has been gathering dust in the police files. It is yet to be turned into an FIR which will prompt the police to take action against the book. A case under section 66 (A) of Information Technology Act, 2000 was registered by the police immediately. Meanwhile, Dhiware has been transferred as the Director, Criminal Investigation Department.
Speaking to Pune Mirror, Sonawani said, "It is strange that the police is not taking any action. I don't know what kind of pressure has forced them to turn a blind eye to the issue." Narke said, "I raised this issue on April 1 this year in the presence of Khedekar at a function in Balgandharv Rangmandir. It has been over three months since then but the police has done nothing. This inaction surprises me."
Meanwhile, the same police department acted swiftly in registering a case against a Facebook user for allegedly defaming deputy CM Ajit Pawar on the social networking website.
According to a complaint filed by a Nationalist Congress Party worker, Arvind Gore, the user, Amit Jadhav, has posted a blackened picture of Pawar on the social networking site, asking fellow users to post abuses about him. A lot of obscene comments are being posted.
According to Sangita Alphonso Shinde, inspector, Pune Police Cyber Cell, the police have asked for user information from Facebook to trace the culprit.
► Khedekar has, in his book, appealed to his organisation to carry out systematic riots against Brahmins. This is anti-constitutional. He has also written about Brahmin women in most derogatory language, the complaint states.
► It is strange that the police is not taking any action. I don't know what kind of pressure has forced them to turn a blind eye to the issue.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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