Friday, March 18, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Branded witch, these women are scarred forever

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Branded-witch-these-women-are-scarred-forever/articleshow/7729775.cms

Branded witch, these women are scarred forever
Binay Singh, TNN | Mar 17, 2011, 10.38pm IST

VARANASI: It is impossible for Jagesari Devi (32), a tribal woman of
Sonebhadra district, to forget the fateful day when she became a
victim of witch hunting and her tongue was chopped off. She was
branded a 'dayan' (witch) by a local 'ojha' (sorcerer). Though her
wounds have healed, the scars remain forever. The unforgettable
nightmare has rendered the Holi festival colourless for her.

"Am I really a dayan," wonders Jagesari, wife of Ramashankar and a
native of Karahiya village under Dudhi police station in Myorpur Block
of Sonebhadra district. Following this inhuman act of others, today
she can neither speak properly nor can eat or drink with ease.

In her testimony to a human rights organisation, Peoples Vigilance
Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), she narrated her ordeal with the
hope to get justice.

The daughter of her brother-in-law Sahdev died due to illness on
August 1, 2010. When she went to his house to condole the death, she
saw that a local sorcerer was also present there. He started claiming
that Jagesari was a dayan and had caused the death. Soon, the orthodox
people were supporting the man who chopped off her tongue in
punishment. She cried out for help, but no one heard her cries.
Somehow, her husband managed to rush her to a hospital for treatment.

"After being labelled a witch and facing physical torture and social
humiliation, how can she be expected to lead a normal life?"
questioned Lanin Raghuvanshi of PVCHR. The PVCHR, in association with
the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims of Denmark,
organised a programme of public hearing recently in the city to hear
the story of Jagesari and other such victims of witch hunting. The
volunteers tried to document the cases of witch hunting in remote
villages of Sonebhadra.

According to Raghuvanshi, poor and low-caste women are easily branded
as witches, mostly in tribal areas. The woman once branded a witch
finds it impossible to get rid the stigma. She is subjected to violent
acts like physical torture and social humiliation, even to the extent
of being stripped naked.

Manbasia (45) is another woman who has been subjected to inhuman
ordeal in Ghaghari Tola Sahgora village, under Babhani police station,
in Myorpur block of Sonebhadra district. After the demise of a boy in
the village, she was not only attacked with sharp weapons but also
paraded naked in public on July 17, 2010. "I was not a dayan, then why
was I paraded naked?" she questioned. Her husband Jodhilal said he had
to mortgage his land for his wife's treatment.

However, officials of both police stations categorically denied that
such cases had ever taken place in their respective areas. Both
Vijaymal Singh Yadav, inspector of Dudhi police station, and Asharam
Goyal, inspector of Babhani police station, when contacted over phone
on Thursday told TOI that they had no information about witch hunting
or practice of witchcraft in their area. However, in another case of
witch hunting, a woman Somari Devi (40), wife of Dinesh Gond and
native of Baliyari village under Dudhi police station, was also
humiliated on January 14, 2011. A local native after branding her a
witch, pushed her into fire. Her saree was burnt, however, her husband
saved her. In her testimony, she alleged that the police did not
register her complaint. Instead of punishing the culprit, the police
let him off scot-free, she said.

Raghuvanshi says there are many factors responsible for the prevalence
of witch hunting. One of the reasons is socio-economic. Generally
witch hunters do so for property (grabbing) reasons. Sometime women
become victims for refusing sexual advances. But, in most of the
cases, women suffer because they are unable to get any help from the
society. "Most of the cases go unreported," he said and added "police
do not play a positive role in stopping harassment of women in the
name of witchcraft practice."

"We are forwarding the testimonies of these women to the National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to draw its attention towards this
social evil and get victims of witch hunting some justice,"
Raghuvanshi said and added it was vary sad that the human rights of
women were being violated openly in the name of witchcraft practice.

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[ZESTCaste] Jat stir: Government’s patience running out

http://www.zeenews.com/news693940.html

Jat stir: Government's patience running out

Updated on Thursday, March 17, 2011, 19:05
New Delhi: With the Jat community leaders refusing to call of their
agitation on quota issue, the Centre on Thursday said that it's
"patience is running out" as the stir has affected rail traffic and
essential services in northern India.

The government was expecting the suspension of the agitation by the
Jats, demanding reservation in Central Government jobs under OBC
category, after their talks with Home Minister P Chidambaram and
Social Justice Minister Mukul Wasnik yesterday.


"But the agitators declared that the stir will continue. We are
running out of our patience. We wanted a peaceful resolution of the
crisis. But how long we will tolerate disruption of rail traffic and
other essential services?" a government official asked.

The government is unlikely to invite the agitating Jats for another
round of discussion unless they call off the stir, officials said.

They said the Central government at this stage can do little to fulfil
the demands of the Jats except forwarding them to the Backward Castes
Commission for consideration.

"We are ready to forward the case to the Backward Castes Commission.
But they have to call off the agitation and allow normal life in the
stir affected areas," the official said.


After the meeting with Chidambaram and Wasnik, a delegation of Jat
leaders had said they would hold a meeting of their 'core committee'
where the request of the Central government to suspend the agitation
would be discussed.

But later in the evening, the agitators declared that they would
continue the stir.

The Union ministers had conveyed to the Jat representatives that they
need three to four days as the demand for inclusion of Jats in the
Central government list of OBCs needed to be discussed with the
Ministry of Law and other relevant wings of the government, Jat leader
Yashpal Malik had said.

The protesting Jats in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been demanding
reservation in Central Government jobs under OBC category.

The over a week-long Jat stir has badly hit the rail movement with
protesters squatting on rail tracks disrupting movement of trains in
various parts of north India.

Jats have threatened to cut all essential supplies to Delhi if their
demands are not met by March 17. Agitators have also threatened plan
to block the supply of oil from Mathura refinery to Delhi.

PTI


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[ZESTCaste] Raghavulu begins fast to meet dalit demands

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Raghavulu-begins-fast-to-meet-dalit-demands/articleshow/7731294.cms

Raghavulu begins fast to meet dalit demands
TNN | Mar 18, 2011, 12.10am IST

HYDERABAD: CPM state secretary B V Raghavulu and state committee
members G Nagaiah and S Veeraiah launched an indefinite fast on
Thursday asking the government to implement 50 demands concerning
dalits, tribals and farmers.

Talking to the media near Indira Park after beginning the fast,
Raghavulu said successive governments had ignored these sections and
in the name of industrialisation were causing immense harm to them.

He said the main demands of the CPM were introduction of a special
scheme for development of dalit and tribal areas, a new law for
implementation of the sub-plan for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, lifting of cases booked against tribals by forest department,
payment of compensation to those whose lands have been taken by the
government for construction of Polavaram project, appointment of
members and chairman for SC/ST commission, implementation of Forest
Rights Act, identity cards for tenant farmers and regulation of the
activities of micro-finance companies and new ration cards to all the
eligible people.

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[ZESTCaste] Kanshi Ram redefined Dalit awareness: Mayawati

http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/16/stories/2011031653850300.htm

Kanshi Ram redefined Dalit awareness: Mayawati

Special Correspondent

Birth anniversary celebrations held in all 72 UP districts

Photo: Subir Roy

MENTOR'S DAY: Chief Minister Mayawati paying tributes to her mentor,
Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram, in Lucknow on Tuesday.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday credited
Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram with redefining Dalit awareness
and giving them a powerful voice, which had forever changed the
political spectrum of the country.

"The creation of a new Dalit identity has altered the old and
exploitative political equations. It was Kanshi Ram who not only
organised the Bahujan samaj but also made them aware of their
political might and enabled them to capture power," Ms. Mayawati said
in a statement issued on the occasion of the 77 {+t} {+h} birth
anniversary of the BSP founder.

Paying tributes to Kanshi Ram, the Chief Minister said a new direction
was given to the movement for social change by him. He devoted his
life for the uplift of the Dalits, backwards and the deprived
sections.

According to her, after the demise of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar the
bahujan movement had begun to falter, but Kanshi Ram ensured that the
objective was achieved. The Uttar Pradesh Government is committed to
ushering in a "samtamoolak samaj" (society based on equality) as was
desired by Dr. Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram, she said.

The Chief Minister mentioned the welfare schemes, memorials, parks,
hospitals, educational institutions, projects and awards named after
him (numbering 21).

Unlike in the past, she neither announced new schemes nor addressed a
public rally. With the Assembly elections to be held in 2012, the
birth anniversary celebrations were held in all 72 districts.

Ms. Mayawati went to the Bahujan Prerna Sthal near the Lal Bahadur
Shastri Annexe Bhavan where she paid floral tributes to the BSP
founder.

From there, she went to the Kanshi Ram Memorial on VIP Road where she
paid floral tributes and garlanded his statue.


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