Khairlanji: Dalits Rise Against A Caste-Patriarchy Backlash

Though the Khairlanji Massacre has been white-washed as a land dispute, or a minor incident of aberration, by sections of the media and political mainstream, the Kharilanji killings were definitely a case of a backlash against the assertion of dalit and women’s rights. Two women, the mother Surekha and the daughter, Priyanka Bhotmange simply defended their right to use their land as they wished…but this assertion by women, and that too, dalit women upset the caste hierarchy in society and painted them as quarrelsome, immoral and fit to be taught a lesson. Priyanka was the only girl in the village who had studied up to Std. XII ; their family was friendly with a police patil of a neighbouring village, one Siddhartha Gajbhiye who was a politically aware and assertive person. So, after the heinous incident and to build up towards it, a story was spread that the Bhotmanges sold liquor, that they practiced prostitution and that the mother, Surekha had an affair with Siddhartha. How convenient is the patriarchal texture of the fabric of Indian society! Rape and kill women, brutalize their bodies sexually and then blame it on them to clear your conscience. Victim becomes the accused and the real accused go scot free. Perhaps it is this reality that dalits, for generations have seen, all over the country and it is for this reason that in protest against the Khairlanji incident they came out on the streets in huge numbers, faced the wrath of the police and gave a challenge to the state—the Brahmanical, patriarchal state that invariably turns a blind eye towards the dalits and working class women. It is not surprising then that in many of these agitations, the leading activists were women. ……….

WILL THE COURT PUNISH THE RAPIST S.P?

A fact finding team of CAVOW and PUCL recently visited the Sarguja district of Chattisgarh and found gross voilations of democratic rights.To suppress the democratic movements of the tribals police is terrorising them. here is the press statement —

POLICE TERROR AND BRUTALITY IN SARGUJA DISTRICT

During investigations the team came across the shocking case of a tribal woman who was raped by the Superintend of Police in North Chhatisgadh. This happened after she tried to get her husband to surrender before the police. Her husbnad, who had come to surrender, was shot in front of her eyes and then she went through this prolonged ordeal of gangrape. Two pertinent questions come to mind? How genuine is the surrender policy for Naxalites? We say that one of the achievements of the women’s movement is to have the law amended regarding custodial rape? But where is the law for the women of the toiling classes? Description by Shoma Sen (Convener,CAVOW) —

WILL THE COURT PUNISH THE RAPIST S.P?

Anil (Student, MGAHV Wardha)

articles on reservations

Anty reservation protests are once more getting momentum.brahminical concept of ‘merit’is being projected as common sense.we are posting some articles appeared in EPW 17 June issue,for contibuting to ongoing debate.- Editor

1.Satish Deshpande and Yogendra Yadav: Redesigning Affirmative Action: Castes and Benefits in Higher Education.

2. Pratap Bhanu Mehta: Democracy, Disagreement and Merit

3. Jayati Ghosh: Case for Caste-based Quotas in Higher Education

4. Rohini Somanathan: Assumptions and Arithmetic of Caste-based reservations

5. Kancha Ilaiah: Merit of Reservations

6. Ashwini Deshpande: The Eternal Debate

Reservations and upper castes’ backlash

The Constitution of India had to accept reservation for the socio-economicallyunprivileged castes and tribes in India. In clauses 340, 341 and 342 of the Constitution the question of reservation was incorporated for the SCs, STc and OBCs. Even after half a century reservations have been ignored or half-heartedly accepted. Commissions after Commissions were set up but the net result was not impressive. In fact even for the dalit reservation quota (except for the Class IV sweeper category) are to quite an extent not filled up. Only when the Mandal Commission Report was tabled and a stormy wind passed throughout India in 1991 the question of caste-based deprivation,the question of 27% reservation in the central government services for the OBCs as well as upper caste frenzy against reservation on a wide scale brought forth the pertinent question of OBC reservation to centre stage. The current country wide debate and upper caste hideous move to banish reservation policy have come up in the wake of the Arjun Singh announcement to reserve 27% seats for the OBCs in all educational institution under the purview of the central government. It should be made clear here that the Constitutional

provisions of reservation are only a partial acknowledgement of the wide inequalities based on the caste system and its…….

read complete article on link- http://peoplesmarch.googlepages.com/Jun-Jul2006.pdf