Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 23.04.12
Dalit body wants sops for sweepers- The Times Of India
Two booked for raping Dalit girl- The Times Of India
Bangalore woman delivers baby on road, dies- The Times Of India
Pipili probe: Conflicting reports baffle government- The Times Of India
Caste-based honour killings in state on the rise: NGO- The Times Of India
The Times Of India
Dalit body wants sops for sweepers
TNN | Apr 23, 2012, 12.16AM IST
GUWAHATI: The representatives of Harijan Sewak Sangh, in a meeting on Sunday, demanded BPL cards, permanent housing facilities and reservations for manual scavengers ( sweepers) in different departments.
MLA Robin Bordoloi, East Guwahati constituency, who was present at the meeting, said, "Dalits form a very important part of society and we have to appreciate their contribution to our civilization."
Vivekananda Doloi, member of the committee said, "Dalits are one of the 16 sub-castes of the schedule castes and we want to uplift their economic status".
"A survey to identify the number of Dalits working as manual scavengers has started. Based on the report, incentives would be provided. A special scheme to distribute sewing machines to the harijan women has also been initiated and an exclusive colony would be set up for the clan." he added.
Pradip Basfor one of the representatives said, "We would not say that we have not received any benefits from the government, but we want the government to restart the survey on manual scavengers again, also we want permanent housing facilities for those living in the Dalit colonies."
"It often happens that some construction work starts in our colony and we are asked to vacate our houses. We want permanent homes for those living in the Dalit colonies. Besides, Dalit workers who lose their lives while working under hazardous conditions should get proper compensation." he said.
"The government should ask the district collectors to start issuing BPL cards to the Dalits as soon as possible." he added.
The Times Of India
Two booked for raping Dalit girl
BHANDARA: A rape case was filed against two youths from a backward class by the victim's mother at Lakhni police station on Saturday. The youths confessed to their guilt during interrogation and were booked under sections 376 and 3(1) (12) of Prevention of Atrocities on SC/ST Act of Indian Penal Code.
According to the complaint, the teenaged victim was raped by two youths in the jungle. The victim was also from Dalit community studying in a school in Lakhni. She was taken to the jungle of Kesalwada in Khutsawari, 10km from Lakhni, by Pramod alias Kalya Bawankule (22) and Kartik Borkar (19), both residents of Murmadi village.
The victim's mother said that the youths gave her some tablets to make her unconscious and raped her. They also took her pictures during the act and sent them to their friends via Bluetooth. The mother came to know of the obscene pictures after four months of the incident.
Assistant superintendent of police Dr Abhinav Deshmukh said, "Such incidents happen in rural areas but most cases are not reported due to fear of defamation. A similar incident occurred in Palora village in the jurisdiction of Adyal policestation two months ago. The accused were arrested and are in jail," he said.
The Times Of India
Bangalore woman delivers baby on road, dies
BANGALORE: Denting the city's aspirations of emerging as a global medical tourism hub, a woman delivered a baby boy on a busy road and bled to death after she could not avail of timely medical help, at Kamalanagar in west Bangalore on Sunday.
The newborn is battling for life in Vani Vilas Hospital. The pregnant woman, believed to be in her mid-20s, appeared before a provisional shop on the Shakti Ganapati Temple Road, Kamalanagar, around 9.30am. She was accompanied by a boy and a girl, both less than four years of age. As the woman went into labour, the shopkeeper asked her if he could help her.
As the two children got her some water from the shopkeeper and tried to keep curious onlookers at bay, the woman picked up the newborn and started walking on the road, and then collapsed. Passersby rushed the unconscious woman to Ashok Hospital where doctors cut the umbilical cord of the newborn.
The doctors said the woman's condition was serious and sent her to Vani Vilas Hospital, but she breathed her last before she reached the hospital, where doctors put the baby into the neo-natal intensive care unit. The two children accompanying the woman, meanwhile, were lost. Locals said she was Poornima, a resident of the area. She was living with her sister after her husband abandoned her. However, police did not confirm this.
Meanwhile, doctors said the newborn is in an incubator. Every baby should be kept warm and covered after birth, they pointed out. The lack of that has led to a sudden drop in his body temperature, resulting in plummeting pulse rate as well, they added. Hospital medical superintendent Some Gowda said a newborn's first few hours are crucial but in this case everything went wrong. "The situation in which he was born wasn't ideal. No sanitary precautions were taken. He was taken to a park later and we suspect this led to infection," he said.
"The baby is in a critical condition and it is too early to say anything. A few hours after he was brought here, he suffered a bout of fits. We are finding it really difficult because there is no medical background on his mother. For a blood test or anything else, none of his blood relatives are around. As of now, we are trying to keep him stable," the doctors said.
CALL 108 FOR HELP
Experts believe the woman who died after giving birth to a baby boy on a pavement could have been saved if passersby had called 108 ambulance services.
"There is no dearth of healthcare facilities and shelters that take care of women in distress. We have services like 'short-stay' homes run by Karnataka State Social Welfare Association Board in association with the Central Social Welfare Board. We also have centres like 'Swadhar' and a very prompt ambulance service, '108'. Citizens who noticed the woman struggling should have called 108 and she could have been saved," said Nina P Nayak, chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The Times Of India
Pipili probe: Conflicting reports baffle government
BHUBANESWAR: The findings by different committees inquiring into the alleged negligence by doctors in connection with the Pipili 'rape' case have put the state government in a spot of bother.
A nine-member experts' committee, which included representatives of the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), state drug management unit and professors from the three state-run medical colleges, has recently submitted its report to the government. Interestingly, the findings in this report do not match those of an earlier probe conducted by the director, health services, Upendra Sahoo.
The latest report has recommended action against some medical practitioners, but not the three doctors (two of Pipili hospital and one of Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar) against whom the government has already initiated disciplinary action, sources said.
While Upendra Sahu, in his report, had held Milan Mitra of Capital Hospitalresponsible for not informing police, the experts' panel has given him a clean chit and put the onus on Kailash Sahoo, another doctor of the same hospital, sources added.
Based on Sahu's report, the government has initiated disciplinary action against Mitra under rule 15 (procedure for imposing major penalties) read with rule 17 of Orissa Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1962. It has also taken action against Sontosh Kumar Tripathy and Jamini Bhusan Patnaik (both posted at Pipili hospital) for alleged lapse on their part in informing the police as it was a 'medico-legal case'. The government action followed the NationalCommission for Scheduled Castes recommending stringent punishment for errant medical practitioners.
The experts' committee, on the other hand, has not found Mitra, Tripathy and Patnaik responsible in the case, and noted that Mitra need not be blamed in the case as he was not the treating doctor. In stead, it has pointed finger at Mitra's colleague Kailash Sahoo, who was the treating doctor, sources disclosed.
Neither of the committees has found any fault in treatment, but has accused the doctors of not informing police, sources revealed. An earlier report by director, medical education and training, P K Das had given doctors of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, a clean chit, but the experts' panel is said to have raised questions about why SCB authorities discharged the girl in December when she had not recovered.
The victim, who has been in coma since the alleged incident took place at Pipili on November 29, was re-admitted at SCB in January following widespread public outcry, which forced police to register a rape case on January 9 and Pipili MLA Pradeep Maharathy to step down as agriculture minister on January 19. The girl continues to be comatose, even as the crime branch of police has said the 19-year-old dalit girl was a victim of attempt to murder but there was no evidence of rape.
Another committee, headed by special secretary, health, Basant Mishra, which was mandated to suggest remedial measures to prevent occurrence of such incidents is yet to come up with its recommendations.
The Times Of India
Caste-based honour killings in state on the rise: NGO
MADURAI: The arrest of the mother and grandmother of a young woman, who was allegedly murdered in 2008, has once again brought back the focus on the disturbing trend of caste-based honour killings in Tamil Nadu.
According to A Kathir, executive director of Evidence NGO, investigations had revealed that Thiruselvi, daughter of Poongulathan of Paramakudi was murdered by her mother Ilanchi and grandmother Rakku on June 5, 2008 and not due to illness, as it was initially believed. A fact-finding into the incident by a team from Evidence has shown that Thiruselvi (20) had eloped with Danielraj (24), a dalit in 2008. He had taken her to Tirupur and found employment in a spinning mill. In June 2008, Thiruselvi's family contacted them and promised to get them married if he brought the girl back. But when they complied, the girl was abducted by her family.
Danielraj told the investigators that he was made to believe that Thiruselvi died of an illness on June 5, 2008. But according to DSP Ganeshan, the postmortem report had raised many doubts at the time of the girl's death. The final medical report and postmortem report received on Friday proved that the girl had been murdered and did not die of an illness. The mother and grandmother confessed to having forced the girl to drink poison before strangulating her, as she had brought dishonour to the family by marrying a dalit.
In another case, a tribal youth Durai (21) of Reddiarpalayam in Thiruvannamalai was murdered on September 1, 2011 by the brother and uncle of a girl, Themozhi, with whom he had fallen in love with. On September 15, the same year, Pasupathy of Ayyanallur in Thanjavur, murdered the dalit girl Ilayarani who he had married for the sake of honour. There were two more such killings recorded in Tiruvarur district and Palani that same month.
Kathir says that 5,474 women committed suicide in Tamil Nadu in the year 2009 and the number rose to 6,009 in 2010. The number of women murdered in the state in 2009 was 587 of which 183 were in the age group of 18 to 30. In 2010, 629 women were murdered of which 236 were in the age group of 18 to 30. A close study into the suicides would reveal that it was for personal reasons and mostly instigated by the family members, he added.
In the recommendations to the DGP of Tamil Nadu, Evidence NGO expressed an urgent need to bring an Act to tackle honour killings, which affected both males and females, although 95% of the victims were female. Stringent action should be initiated and special rules should be formulated for their immediate arrest, they added.
--
.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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