Arun Kumar

Ambedkar house in London

Dear Friends,
10 King Henry’s Road, Chalk Farm, North West London – the house  where the champion of human rights and the Father of the Indian Constitution, Dr Ambedkar lodged from 1921-22 whilst at the LSE and Grays Inn, is a place of pilgrimage for Ambedkarites around the world. This house was purchased by the Government of Maharashtra in September 2015 following a proposal by the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK that the £3.1million property be turned into fitting memorial to Dr Ambedkar.  
In November 2015 the Prime Minister of India inaugurated 10 King Henry’s Road during his visit to the UK. The ground floor was hurriedly refurbished for the PM’s visit. The rest of the house still requires further renovation and FABO UK has been following this up.
Mr Rajkumar Badole, Minister for Social Justice and Special Assistance, Government of Maharashtra visited the house again this week to accelerate the development of the Ambedkar Memorial and set up an Advisory Committee.  The Committee, under the Chairmanship of India’s High Commissioner to London, was announced and met for the first time on 2nd February.  
The Committee comprises:
The High Commission of India (HCI) Shri YK Sinha; Mr Surendra Kumar Bagde (GOM) Mr. Sunil Kumar (HCI); Ms Santosh Dass MBE (FABO UK); Mr. C. Gautam (FABO UK); Mr. Jograj Ahir (Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha, Southall); and Mr. Sukhdev Sahai Hira, social worker.
We now look forward to early progress. Below are some links to some recent media coverage.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra-minister-sets-up-committee-for-ambedkar-memorial-in-london-4503884/
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/panel-formed-for-br-ambedkar-memorial-in-london/story-LMyq3sLGNEXBB3znLATwqL.html 
Regards,
Arun Kumar, General Secretary O7909828750
Federation of Ambedkarite & Buddhist Organisations UK

ISSUE OF ATROCITIES AGAINST DALITS
RAISED IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

Following a Joint Statement by a number of organisations in the UK including Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK (FABO UK), Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance UK (ACDA UK) sent on 18 August to the British Government, United Nations Secretary General and UN Human Rights Commission regarding the continuous atrocities against Dalits in India especially in Gujarat, Lord Alton of Liverpool has asked written questions in the House of Lords for British government’s response.

Q
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
Asked on: 05 September 2016
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
India: Dalits
HL1541
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of India’s National Crime Records Bureau that, in a three-year period there was an almost 40 per cent increase of crime against Dalits throughout India; that in 2015, in Gujarat, there was a 163.3 per cent increase in crime against Dalits; and that sexual assaults against women and rape are listed as the top crimes against scheduled castes.

Q
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
Asked on: 05 September 2016
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
India: Minority Groups
HL1542
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Joint Statement of UK anti-caste organisations submitted on 18 August to the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the United National Human Rights Commissioner and the UN Secretary General, and whether they will press for those British organisations that submitted the Joint Statement to be given the opportunity to express their concerns to the United Nations office in Geneva and to report on the condition of Dalits and minorities in India.

Below is the link to these questions asked :
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=QuestionsOnly&house=lords&member=738

Arun Kumar
General Secretary  Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations, UK (FABO UK).
Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com September 11, 2016

A DREAM FINALLY COMING TRUE –
AN INTERNATIONAL MEMORIAL TO
DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR IN LONDON

After tense months of delays, on 26 August 2015 the Government of Maharashtra exchanged contracts on 10 King Henry’s Road, NW3. This house, located near Primrose Hill in north London, was where Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar lodged in 1921-22.  Dr Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956), popularly known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Modern Buddhist Movement and campaigned against social discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits), women and labour. He was Independent India's first law minister and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
Ms Santosh Dass, MBE, President of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK, comments,

“I am delighted that Mr Raj Kumar Badole, Minister for Social Justice and Special Assistance at Government of Maharashtra, via the High Commission of India in London, has exchanged contracts on 10 King Henry’s Road, NW3.
This follows my proposal to GOM in September 2014 that the house be bought by GOM and turned into an educational and cultural centre. Generations of Indians in the UK and visitors studying, interested or inspired by Dr Ambedkar’s key roles in furthering social justice, human rights and equal treatment issues will be able to visit. He is a figure on par with William Wilberforce and Dr Martin Luther King. Additionally, its five bedrooms could be used as accommodation for Indian students from Dalit backgrounds while doing post-graduate studies in the UK.
FABO UK has a long history with this site. As part of the celebration of the centenary of Dr Ambedkar’s birth, organised under the auspices of FABO UK, English Heritage in 1991 recognised its historic significance and installed a ‘blue plaque’ on the exterior of the property with the words “DR BHIMRAO RAMJI AMBEDKAR 1891-1956 Indian Crusader for Social Justice lived here 1921-22”.

Whilst in this house Dr Ambedkar enriched his academic studies and strengthened his resolve to challenge the impact of the Caste System and British Rule in India. It was also during this time that India’s Government was struggling with the falling value of the Indian Rupee – the backdrop to his thesis The Problem of the Rupee: Its origin and its solution.

There is a lot of work to do on the house before it can be opened to visitors.

We look forward to working with GOM and the High Commission in London in the months and years to come to ensure that this cultural and political heritage site is put to uses of which Dr Ambedkar would approve.

FABO UK would like to take this opportunity to thank the following key people in India and the GOM for their tireless and unflinching enthusiasm and support in making our vision a reality: Mr Raj Kumar Badole, GOM’s Minister for Social Justice and Special Assistance, His Excellency, Mr Ranjan Mathai, High Commissioner of India in London, and his team, Mr Vinod Tawade, GOM’s Minister of, Higher & Technical Education and Cultural Affairs,  Mr R K Giakwad IAS (Indian Administrative Services), Ex-Secretary & Commissioner Social Justice Department, Mr Ramdas Athwale, MP, Padma Shri Kalpana Saroj, and Mr Ramesh Katke, Deputy Registrar GOM.
Notes to Editors
 
Contact Ms Santosh Dass 0044 7902 806342 for more information or press interviews
FABOUK estimated the house would cost GBP 4 million. This includes the current asking price for the property as advertised at GBP 3.1 million;   Stamp Duty; legal costs, house insurance costs, and the necessary renovations to the property.
FABO UK
In the UK there are a number of organisations with a common interest in following the teachings of Dr Ambedkar and traditions of Buddhism. FABO, UK with its Head Office in Southall, West London, was formed in 1985 as a central UK body to strengthen these organisations’ loose or informal associations. It is a voluntary and non-profit making organisation. FABO UK has a number of objectives. One key one is to propagate the teachings of Dr Ambedkar and Lord Buddha. Over the years the numbers of organisations with a common interest that have joined FABO UK have fluctuated yet grown. FABO UK is run by an elected Executive Team. The current President of FABO UK of Ms Santosh Dass, MBE took up the position September 2013.
The joint General Secretaries are Mr Arun Kumar and Mr Gautam Chakravarty.
Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK
Buddha Vihara   12 Featherstone Road Southall West London MIDDX UB2 5AA
E: cgautam@ambedkar.org.uk    U: www.ambedkar.org.uk    Tel: +44 7956 918053

Ambedkartimes.com takes pride in congratulating the “Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organizations UK” (FABO UK) on this great achievement. Prem Chumber

Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com August 27, 2015

CASTE PREJUDICE
HAS BECOME GLOBAL

An upper-caste Gujarati family who ran a grocery shop in the US wanted to know the name of the Indian sitting next to them in a private van in Pennsylvania. When his name did not reveal his caste, they probed further and asked for his surname. He said he was South Indian and didn't have a surname. 

"I told them I knew why they were asking me these questions. They wanted to know my caste," says Sakya, who told them he was dalit. Over the next few days they sat as far away from him as possible while travelling together. Sakya, a PhD in history, says he has never faced any racial discrimination from white Americans; it's his own countrymen that have discriminated against him.

Education qualifications do little to erase the caste biases that Indians carry with them. A recent survey by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and the University of Maryland, US revealed that one in four Indians continue to practise untouchability in some form in their homes.

It's the same story across continents. The National Post writes of how, for dalits of Canada's British Columbia, the barbs are subtle. "They come in seemingly innocuous questions about your family village or last name...They show up in careless conversation, among friends, behind closed doors. A messy house is referred to as a chamar house."

Indian immigrant Kamlesh Ahir told the newspaper: "It doesn't matter if we are a doctor, teacher, because we belong to the lower castes.... They think we are bulls-t. We are zero....I'm in Canada ... But the bulls-t castes are still here. We live it every day."

"When Hindus move to other countries, the caste system transmigrates with them. Wherever Indians migrate to America, they build temples. They also export a Brahmin priest to perform the rituals in the temple. In this way the same structure repeats itself," says noted dalit scholar Kancha Ilaiah.
While New Jersey has one of the largest Hindu temples in the US, dalit entrepreneur Deelip Mhaske, a prominent member of the Indian community, is never invited to any cultural or religious Hindu function such as Diwali and Holi.

"The dalit gurdwara in Burnaby (British Columbia) was founded in 1982 after dalit worshippers felt unwelcome in an upper-caste gurdwara," writes Cheryl Chan in Canada's National Post. Chan points out the irony of the fact that Sikhism does not officially have a caste system.

A year ago, the British parliament officially outlawed caste discrimination. A UK government study had found evidence of caste-based discrimination at the workplace, in the delivery of services and in the education system. Coventry, a city in Central England, saw one of the most degrading cases of caste discrimination. "An elderly dalit lady was receiving home care from the city council, which would send a council worker to her house to bathe her. One of the council workers happened to be an Indian of a higher caste. When she discovered the lady was dalit, she refused to give her a bath," recalls Lekh Pall, an activist with the Anti-discrimination Alliance.

People often hide their identity as dalits as they do not want to be discriminated against, says Dr Sushant Godghate, a doctorate in engineering who lives in Japan. "I had an Indian colleague in Japan who I knew to be Buddhist (dalit convert). When I asked him if he would like to take part in the Ambedkarite movement in Japan he refused, saying he was not from the community," says Godghate.

Recently an upper-caste Hindu in an office in Japan overheard a dalit colleague talking of organizing protests over the brutal murder of three members of a dalit family in Maharashtra last month, an incident reminiscent of the Khairlanji killings. The dalit colleague says he and the upper-caste Hindu co-worker would earlier hang out together, but after this incident, the upper-caste colleague began to avoid him. 
Recent protests in New York over the killings in Maharashtra saw several other groups join in, from African American church groups to Arab artists. However, upper-caste Indians were conspicuous by their absence. 

In a paper on Australia's South Asian diaspora, Deakin University researcher Amit Sarwal argues that "despite the modern nature of South Asian diaspora in Australia and despite the egalitarian nature of Australia and even if caste as an institution cannot be practiced publicly or caste consciousness has not survived, this consciousness has very subtly merged into class consciousness and a demonstration of social status in relation to others. The 'others' being those who do not belong to the same jati, linguistic group and economical level..." 

When an upper-caste Indian who has grown up in a deeply hierarchical society leaves India, he wants someone to dominate, says Chandra Bhan Prasad, mentor at the Dalit India Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "Africans in Durban say Indians treat them worse than whites do. For them, blacks are like dalits. But in countries like the US, where they have no one else to suppress, they turn on dalits," says Prasad.
http://m.timesofindia.com/home/stoi/deep-focus/Prejudice-even-in-pardes/articleshow/45322711.cms

Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com November 30, 2014

A special report on the demonstration organized by the Freedom without Fear Platform and attended by various organizations from all over UK against the daily occurrences of rapes in India. A memorandum was handed over to the Indian High commissioner Arun Kumar (General Secretary) Federation of Ambedkarite & Buddhist Organizations UK

Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Our letter to the Indian Prime Minister to be handed today at the High Commission
Shri Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
4th June 2014

Dear Prime Minister

We the undersigned women’s organizations, South Asian community organizations and Dalit and anti-caste discrimination organizations in Britain are writing to you to express our acute concern about the ongoing horrific attacks on Dalit and oppressed caste women and children across India, including most recently, the appalling gang-rape and lynching of two girls aged 14 and 15 in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday 28th May. Only two months earlier, four teenage Dalit girls aged 13-18 were raped by ‘higher caste’ landowners in Bhagana in Haryana, and the survivors are still fighting for the arrest of the rapists.

We note that: 

• These caste/gender atrocities are not confined to one state but have been occurring across the country - from Bathani Tola and Bathe in Bihar to Khairlanji and Khadra in Maharashtra.
• These are taking place with the collusion of the police as recently highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. In many cases the police themselves are the perpetrators.
• There has also been collusion by public prosecutors and the judiciary, which has led to acquittals of the guilty.
• Public figures who have been responsible for rapes and murders of  minority, Dalit and Adivasi women have been rewarded and promoted – two of many examples are Muzaffarnagar-accused Sanjeev Baliyan, now made a central government Minister, and Police Superintendent Ankit Garg awarded for gallantry after supervising the rape and torture of Soni Sori.

We urge you therefore to ensure that:

• In the Badaun case: The police involved in the rape-murders must be prosecuted: In the FIR lodged by the police, the culprit policemen have been charged only with abetment (120B) whereas they should be named as the accused and 
• Section 166A (which refers to police and other public servants refusing to do their duties) also should be invoked in the case. The government must take measures to guarantee the security of the families of the victims since police are among the accused.
• In the Bhagana case: The eviction today from Jantar Mantar of the rape survivors and their families who have been forced to protest in Delhi for many weeks must be stopped. Their demands must immediately be met:  all those named by the survivors must be arrested; the Dalit community in Bhagana must be given land and guaranteed security as is their right; full compensation must be provided to the Bhagana rape survivors.
• In the cases of the Bathani Tola and Bathe massacres and mass rapes carried out by the Ranvir Sena in Bihar: all those convicted on the evidence of eyewitness survivors have been subsequently acquitted by the Patna High Court. These acquittals must be overturned. The Amir Das Commission investigating the Ranveer Sena which was hastily disbanded before it could make its findings public, must be reinstated.
• Sanjeev Baliyan who is a main accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots and mass rapes of Muslim women in U.P. (and has continued to break the law, taking out inflammatory victory processions against Prohibitory Orders) must be removed from his post as Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing in the central government immediately.
• The Atrocities Act which is specifically designed to address caste violence must be applied in all cases of caste/gender violence against SCs and STs.

Yours sincerely,

Sarbjit Johal, Freedom Without Fear Platform
Amrit Wilson, South Asia Solidarity Group
Santosh Dass, Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations (UK)
Ravi Kumar, Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance
Davinder Prasad, British Organisation of People of Asian Origin
Bholi Randhawa, Shri Guru Ravi Dass Mission International (Kanshi TV)
Desraj Bunger, Sri Guru Ravidass Sabha, UK, Europe and Abroad
Satpal Muman, CasteWatch UK
Faquir Chand Sahota, Central Valmik Sabha (UK)
Eugene Culas, Voice of Dalit International
Pastor Raj, Minority Christian International Federation
Baljit Banga, Newham Asian Women’s Project
Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters
Sumanta Roy, Imkaan
Anjum Mouj, Rape Crisis England and Wales
Balvinder Saund, Sikh Women's Alliance UK
Shahida Choudhury,Women’s Networking Hub
Posted by Freedom Without Fear Platform at 14:07 No comments:
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Labels: Badaun, Bhagana, Dalit women and girls, gender violence, India
Monday, 2 June 2014
BADAUN-BHAGANA-NEVER AGAIN! DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF GENDER/CASTE VIOLENCE!
Wednesday 4th June 4.30 - 6.30pm 
Indian High Commission
The Aldwych, London WC2 (nearest tube is Holborn) 

The appalling gang-rape and lynching of two Dalit girls aged 14 and 15 in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, India on Wednesday 28th May is the latest in a long line of horrific murders and sexual assaults perpetrated on young Dalit women across India recently. Only two months earlier, four teenage Dalit girls aged 13-18 were raped by ‘higher caste’ landowners in Bhagana in Haryana, and the survivors are still fighting for the arrest of the rapists.

Dalit women and girls are facing an onslaught of gender, caste, and class based violence in which the Indian state collaborates. Less than 1% of rape cases of Dalit women by non-Dalits end in conviction. The level of impunity is so total that the perpetrators feel confident to finish off their vile crimes by murdering the victims and leaving their bodies on display. Are the lives of young Dalit women so expendable?

In the Badaun case, the police refused to investigate when the girls’ families reported them missing and even threatened to kill them if they filed a case, and two policemen have now been charged with conspiring with the higher caste rapists. In Bhagana, the courageous survivors and their families have been forced to travel to Delhi and stage an ongoing protest to demand the arrest of the rapists –after the police refused to register cases against the powerful men named by the girls in their testimonies.

Dalit women have been targeted for sexual violence wherever Dalit communities are challenging oppression and exploitation. In Bhagana, the four girls were raped in ‘revenge’ after Dalits demanded that the upper caste controlled village council hand over the land which had been allocated to them by the government, and protested against eviction and harassment. In Bihar, the Ranvir Sena, a landowners’ army aligned with Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, targeted Dalit and Muslim women for horrific violence when the rural poor organized for land and a living wage.

The recent election victory of Narendra Modi and the BJP has further emboldened upper caste and economically powerful rapists. The Brahmanical-patriarchal ideas of the Hindu right, in which Dalit women’s lives have no value, are being combined with intensified neoliberal economic policies which leave Dalits and other exploited and marginalised people even more vulnerable. While Modi tried to reach out to Dalits in his election campaign, his close ally Baba Ramdev’s offensive remarks about Dalit women as the sexual property of upper castes exposed once again the misogynistic casteism of the Hindu right. In the wake of the Badaun case, Modi has condemned the appalling levels of gender violence in opposition-ruled UP, but the fact that he has given a Ministerial post in his government to Sanjeev Baliyan, one of the main accused in the Muzaffarnagar communal violence in UP last year which involved mass rapes of Muslim women, sends out a very different signal.

The last year and a half has seen a powerful movement against gender violence in India. But the Badaun and Bhagana cases painfully underline once again that the struggle continues, and can only succeed if the lethal connections between gender, caste, class and communal violence are recognized and fought.

 Dalit groups and progressive and left women’s groups and students organisations in India are on the streets demanding justice for the victims and survivors of Badaun and Bhagana.
Join the solidarity protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday 4th June from 4.30 to 6.30pm.

https://www.facebook.com/events/297949227038552/

Organised by
Freedom Without Fear Platform

Supported by 
Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance; BOPA; CasteWatch UK; Central Valmik Sabha UK; FABOUK; Imkaan, Newham Asian Women’s Project; Rape Crisis England and Wales; South Asia Solidarity Group; Southall Black Sisters; Sri Guru Ravidass Sabha, UK, Europe and Abroad; Shri Guru Ravi Dass Mission International (Kanshi TV); Voice of Dalit International; Women’s Networking Hub
Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com , June 9, 2014)

Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com , June 9, 2014)

Fight for Justice continues -FABO UK The Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK, took place on Sunday 22 September 2013 at the Ambedkar Centre, 12 Featherstone Road, Southall, Middlesex, West London. Five member organisations - : Dr Ambedkar Memorial Trust, London, Buddha Dhamma Association, Southall, Ambedkar Mission Society Bedford, Punjab Buddhist Society UK, Dr Ambedkar Mission Society Glasgow - participated in the meeting. The Government’s delay on the implementation of the legislation to outlaw caste discrimination was discussed. The protracted timetable of two years announced by the Government was agreed as nothing more than a mere ploy to stop the implementation of the legislation agreed by Parliament. This clearly signals that the government does not want to see the implementation of the law during its term. The government’s attitude was  strongly condemned. FABO UK will continue to support and participate in the campaign for early implementation of the legislation to outlaw caste discrimination in the UK.

It has been over six decades since independence, but atrocities on Dalits and especially on Dalit women continue to increase day by day. The India Government must ensure fast track courts that deal with cases of rape work to ensure that timely justice is provided to the victims. The legal system in India must also provide justice for victims of caste oppression.

Dr. Ambedkar was one of the greatest advocates of human rights and equality of treatment. He devoted his life and work to provide justice for victims of discrimination. To maintain the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar, participants in the meeting took a pledge to continue to work against inequality and injustice and raise the concerns of the neglected and suppressed people. 

Elections for the key positions in FABO UK were held during the meeting. We are delighted to announce that the following members were elected unanimously under Chairperson of Election Commissioner, Mrs.  Hiroo Parmar:

President: Ms. Santosh Dass MBE, Vice President: Ram Pal Rahi, General Secretary: Arun Kumar, Joint Secretary: C Gautam,
Treasurer: Sohan Lal Gindha, Public Affairs: Gira Ashok Chakravarty

Executive Members:
Mehar Chand Jassal, Mulkh Raj, Harbans  Virdee, Bakshi Birdi, Malind Kaul, Dhanpat Rattu,  Pirthi Kaeley,  Vidya Middha, Chaman  Chahal

Arun Kumar
General Secretary
Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK
Buddha Vihara,12, Featherstone Road, Southall, , Middsex, London UB2 5AA
E: fabo@ambedkar.org.uk U: www.ambedkar.org.uk Tel; Tel: 0044 7956 918053/07909828750
Picture caption: Sitting from left to right: Dhamma Chakravarty, Arun Kumar, Santosh Das, Ram Pal Rahi, Surjit Birdi,
Standing from left to right: C. Gautam, Hukam C Mehmi, Sohan Lal Ginda, Madhav Rao Patil, Bakshi Birdi

Double standards of the upper middle class raise many questions which need answers. Shenali Waduge raises a very valid question, “While rape in any form is abhorred and should be severely punished by all nations what needs to be answered is what makes the recent gang rape by 6 men of a 23 year old on a bus in Delhi any different from the gang rape of a 16 year old Dalit women by 8 men who having taken photos of the crime had circulated it amongst the village leading to her father committing suicide out of shame?”(1) This Dalit girl was raped in September 2012 and Shenali questions why there were no mass protests, no media attention for her or calls to arrest the perpetrators but the recent rape has turned into a mass protest all over India? Can somebody from the civil society answer these questions?

Similarly where were all Indians when Khairlarnji massacre occurred in 2006 when a Dalit family was lynched in Maharashtra? In Khairlanji, on 29 September 2006, 44-year-old Surekha Bhotmange and her daughter Priyanka Bhotmange were stripped, paraded naked, and raped repeatedly. Surekha's sons Roshan and Sudhir were slaughtered. The entire village was involved. The Bhotmanges were Dalits. The Bhotmanges have been forgotten. After all, two Dalits are murdered every day in India. (2) The Indian media didn’t even bother to cover this incident until Dalits in Nagpur came on streets to protest. Unfortunately all India was sleeping as if the Dalit women were not the ‘daughters of India’.

Dalit rape victims in Ajmer district in Rajasthan are waiting for justice for the last seven years. There are 68 reported cases of rape in the district since 2006 but only one accused has been convicted in 2007. Just in the months of September and October, 2012 around 19 Dalit women were raped in Haryana. An 18 year old Dalit girl in Badhshapur village in Patiala committed suicide on December 26, six weeks after being raped by three men as she couldn’t tolerate humiliation and tormenting by police and culprits anymore. Her mother stated that when she went to complain to the police they humiliated the girl with lewd questions. On 5th January, a 16-year-old Dalit girl was abducted, raped and forced to eat some poisonous pesticide by an upper-caste man and dumped outside her house in a village in Faridkot district in Punjab.

The tale of sexual abuse doesn’t end here. In an article in Counter-currents, Cynthia Stephen quotes a Dalit girl from a village in Tamil Nadu as saying “There is no girl in our lane who has not been coerced or raped by the dominant caste men when they go to the fields to fetch water or for work.”(3) Men from the dominant castes threaten the Dalits with dire consequences if they dare complain to the police. Sexual violence against Dalit women is a systemic way of enforcing status quo of the Dalits. Rape is often used as a tool for political and social subjugation of Dalit women. Rural areas are full of such incidents. Vast majority of crimes against Dalit women are not reported owing to fear of social exclusion and threats to personal safety and security. Every village in India has such tales to narrate.

Instead the leaders such as RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat give us lesson on Indian culture and advocates that gang rapes and sexual abuses happen only in urban areas as a result of Western influence and not in rural areas. If this Hindu ideologue tries to preach us about ancient Hindu culture, he must feel ashamed of Davdassi system in South India where girls as young as 6 years old become “brides of gods” and are raped by men of higher castes in temples. Young women are also later forced into prostitution through this system. Violent atrocities occur regularly in the names of tradition and religion. When are we going to get rid of hypocrisy? Other holy man blamed girl for the rape as she didn’t beg enough for mercy. Women are placed on the pedestals and are worshiped daily. On the other hand, the same women are treated as toys to play with and discard them when they are not needed. There is a plenty of evidence in Hindu scriptures where women’s low status is justified. The verses from the scriptures are still recited where cattle, drums and women are considered worthy of beating. That is why Dr. Ambedkar publically burnt down Manusmrity, a manifestation of inequality and cruelty towards women, and condemned other scriptures which contain humiliating strictures against women. Women don’t want the status of goddesses but need equal treatment and respect.

Unprecedented outcry and coverage surrounding the recent Delhi gang rape has forced the government to act fast. They have set up a fast track court for a quick trial and also a commission to bring changes in the law to deal with rape cases. They are positive steps to pacify the feelings of general public but one should not have high expectations from the politicians, police and administrators. As a result of the high profile rape case in Delhi, it is expected that police would be more vigilant and conscious and act promptly. But right under their nose another women was raped on 6th January, 2013 and her body was dumped in Noida, suburb of Delhi.

Of course there are flaws in the laws relating to rapes and other offences against women. But what is worst that even the existing laws are not implemented fairly and speedily. Speaking on the merits of the constitution, the architect of the Indian constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar stated, “I feel, however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of a Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution”. Same principle implies to the existing legislation on sexual abuse. The problem lies in the lack of political will to implement laws. It doesn’t matter how good laws are made to prevent sexual offences, it depends upon the law enforcing agencies how quickly the offender is caught and prosecuted. So far the laws have done little to change the attitudes and are often ignored.

The ground reality is that politicians, administrators, police and even judiciary collude with each other and offender gets free to offend again. Justice Ashok Ganguli, retired judge, Supreme Court of India, himself admitted on national Television that judiciary didn’t treat women with dignity. The cases pertaining to sexual violence are delayed for 10-15 years. Justice delayed is justice denied. In majority of cases, the kith and kens or supporters of politicians and bureaucrats are involved in such cases. That is why police don’t dare to take action against those culprits. Even they, themselves, face criminal charges pertaining to sexual offences. According to the National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in last election there were 260 contesting candidates from various political parties who were charged under different sections of Indian penal Code for crimes against women such as outraging modesty of a woman, assault, insulting the modesty of a woman etc. What justice is expected from these people? Such politicians should be named and shamed in public, expelled from the political parties and debarred from the public office

What we need is the overhaul of administration and police. Coupled with tough laws, it is essential that an intensive training is imparted to the officers dealing with the atrocities on women. Only women police officers should be deployed to handle such cases where victim feels free to lodge the complaint. They need an easy access to the police. Fast track courts are important to deal with all sexual offences so that victim is given justice in a specific time limit. Most importantly, Indians must change their mind set and treat women with respect and give them equal status irrespective of class or caste. It is only possible if every member of the society feels responsibility and is sincere to treat women with respect and dignity. Mere lip service won’t help. One must be bold enough like Dr. Ambedkar to condemn, if needed, the religious dogmas which preach hatreds against women.

References:
1. Shenali Waduge, ‘Rape In India: Why Are There No Mass Protests For Raped Dalit Women’ Eurasia Review on 28th December, 2012,
2. Anand Teltumbde, 'Khairlanji - A strange and bitter crop'
3. Cynthia Stephen, ‘Feminism And Dalit Women In India’
Countercurrents.org,16 November, 2009
Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com (January 12, 2013)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ATROCITIES ON DALITS (Arun Kumar, Bedford, UK)

Indian authorities have so far been able to hide the caste problem under the carpet and always denied the caste based discrimination. Recently Dalits have become more vocal and exposed the false propaganda of the government. They are voicing their concerns at the international forums. Consequently the caste issue is no longer hidden from the outside World.

On December, 13, European Parliament in Strasbourg debated caste discrimination in India and adopted a strongly worded resolution to condemn the continued human rights violations, increasing number of atrocities committed against Dalits and the Indian Government’s inability to take a firm action against the culprits. European Parliament also deplored the non-intervention by police in acts of violence against Dalits.
Acknowledging the significant efforts to make legislation to eradicate caste based discrimination, Parliament urged the Indian authorities at federal, state and local level to honour their pledges and implement and amend if needed existing legislation particularly the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act in order to protect Dalits from caste oppression. European Parliament also urged the EU’s and the Member States’ representations in India to include the issue of caste discrimination in their dialogues with the Indian authorities, and to prioritise programmes addressing caste discrimination, including in education, and programmes

Following is the full text of resolution passed by the European Parliament Caste discrimination in India
PE502.571European Parliament resolution of 13 December 2012 on caste discrimination in India (2012/2909(RSP))

The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions, in particular that of 1 February 2007 on the human rights situation of the Dalits in India and those on the Annual Reports on Human Rights in the World, notably that of 18 April 2012 ,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
– having regard to the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and to its General Recommendations XXIV, as ratified by India,
– having regard to the government proposal put forward by Mukul Vasnik, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, on ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012’, presented to the Indian Parliament on 3 September 2012,
– having regard to the statement of 19 October 2009 by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, and her appeal to UN member states to endorse the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination on Discrimination based on Work and Descent,
– having regard to the recommendations arising from the UN Special Procedures and UN treaty bodies, as well as to those in the two Universal Periodic Reviews on India of 10 April 2008 and 24 May 2012,
– having regard to the recommendations of 9 July 2012 of the UN Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on India,
– having regard to the deep concern expressed on 6 February 2012 by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders regarding the situation of Dalit activists in India,
– having regard to the ongoing Maila Mukti Yatra, the nationwide march of thousands of people for the eradication of manual scavenging which between 30 November 2011 and 31 January 2012 crossed 18 of India’s states,
– having regard to the EU-India thematic dialogue on human rights,
– having regard to Articles 2 and 3(5) of the Treaty on European Union,
– having regard to Rules 122(5) and 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas India has made enormous economic progress, and as one of the BRICS countries now plays an important role in world politics; whereas, however, caste discrimination continues to be widespread and persistent;
B. whereas India’s Constitution grants its citizens equal status, and discrimination based on caste and untouchability is deemed illegal in its Articles 15 and 17; whereas Dalits have served in the highest political functions; whereas India has laws and regulations intended to protect Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, such as the 1976 Protection of Civil Rights Act and the 1989 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act; whereas Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made several strong statements about prioritising combating violence against Dalits;
C. whereas, despite these efforts, an estimated 170 million Dalits and indigenous Adivasi in India continue to suffer from severe forms of social exclusion; whereas the ILO estimates that the overwhelming majority of bonded labour victims in the country are from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes;
D. whereas manual scavenging, despite being legally banned, continues to be widespread, with hundreds of thousands of almost exclusively female Dalits performing this form of servitude, Indian Railways being the largest single employer of manual scavengers;
E. whereas Dalit and Adivasi women are the poorest of the poor in India, face multiple discrimination on the basis of caste and gender, are frequently subjected to gross violations of their physical integrity, including sexual abuse with impunity by members of dominant castes, and are socially excluded and economically exploited, with a literacy rate of only 24 %;
F. whereas according to estimates the vast majority of crimes against Dalit women are not reported owing to fear of social ostracism and threats to personal safety and security; whereas in one particular case in Haryana state a 16-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped in the village of Dabra (Hisar district) on 9 September 2012; whereas her father committed suicide after discovering what had happened and the police only decided to take belated action when faced with mass protests;
G. whereas on 20 November 2012, in Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu state), a mob of approximately 1 000 people from higher castes looted and torched at least 268 houses in Dalit communities, with no intervention from the police officers present;
H. whereas the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005 lacks effective implementation, and whereas the pervasive prejudice against women in the police, the legal system, the medical establishment and the political class impedes the dispensing of justice;
I. whereas the conviction rate under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act continues to be very low, providing no deterrent against crimes;
J. whereas, according to various local and international sources, between 100 000 and 200 000 girls – the majority of them Dalits – are allegedly trapped in bonded labour in spinning mills in Tamil Nadu which supply yarn to factories that produce garments for western brands;
1. Acknowledges the efforts at federal, state, regional and local level in India to eradicate caste discrimination; applauds, furthermore, the clear stance against caste discrimination taken by many Indian politicians, Indian media, NGOs and other public opinion makers at every level of society;
2. Remains, however, alarmed at the persistently large number of reported and unreported atrocities and widespread untouchability practices, notably manual scavenging;
3. Urges the Indian authorities at federal, state, regional and local level to honour their pledges and to implement or, if necessary, amend the existing legislation, notably the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in order to effectively protect Dalits and other vulnerable groups in society;
4. Underlines, particularly, the need for victims to be able to safely register their cases with the police and judicial authorities, as well as for serious follow-up by the police and judiciary of reported atrocities and other cases of discrimination;
5. Calls on the Indian Parliament to act on its plans to pass a new Bill prohibiting employment of manual scavengers and securing their rehabilitation, and on the Indian Government to take the necessary measures for its immediate enforcement;
6. Calls on the Indian authorities to repeal those provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act which do not conform to international standards and potentially undermine the work of NGOs, including Dalit organisations and other organisations representing disadvantaged groups in Indian society, by impeding them from receiving funds from international donors;
7. Calls on the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission (HR/VP), the EU Special Representative on Human Rights, and the EU Member States to develop an EU policy on caste discrimination and to endorse the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent in the UN Human Rights Council;
8. Welcomes the Union Cabinet's approval in September 2012 of the Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition) Act, banning employment of children below 14 years across all sectors and below 18 years for hazardous sectors; calls on the Government of India to take effective implementing measures in order to rapidly reduce what is still one of the highest number of working children in the world and to introduce legislation for a full ban on child labour in accordance with the International Labour Organisation guidelines;
9. Calls on the EU’s and the Member States’ representations in India to include the issue of caste discrimination in their dialogues with the Indian authorities, and to prioritise programmes addressing caste discrimination, including in education, and programmes with particular focus on women and girls; expects future EU cooperation with India to be assessed as to how it would affect caste discrimination;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to India’s Prime Minister, India’s Minister for Law and Justice, India’s Home Minister, India’s Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Council, the HR/VP, the Commission, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, the Secretary-General of the UN and the President of the UN General Assembly.

Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com (December 18, 2012)

With the hard work and dedication of Mr. Shekhur Bagul, Department of History and economic History, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK has set up the Ambedkar Memorial Committee at the Manchester Metropolitan University. An Ambedkar Memorial Lecture in the university takes place every year and an eminent person for this lecture is invited. On this occasion, an exhibition of books and photographs on the life and mission of Dr Ambedkar is also organized. We have lost a truly dedicated disciple of Lord Buddha and mission of Babasaheb Ambedkar. His detailed obituary will be followed after his funeral. Funeral details will be followed shortly.

Further details: Ven. Bhikkhu Tejwant, Punjab Buddhist Society, UK, Tel - 01902 656665, pbs_2004@yahoo.co.uk
C Gautam: Tel - 07956 918053. 07877 273815, cgautam@ambedkar.org
C. Gautam, General Secretary, Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations, UK
Buddha Vihara, 12, Featherstone Road, Southall, Middx. UB2 5AA
E: fabo@ambedkar.org.uk, Tel: 0044 7956 918053 Posted on December 28, 201

Dear Editor (Ambedkartimes.com),
I learnt about the Parinirvana of Shri Bhagwan Dass. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and the community. Shri Bhagwan Dass was a scholar and intellectual not only of the dalits but also the society at large. His contribution in carrying forward the Mission of Dr. Ambedkar was great. May God grant peace to the departed soul.
(Ramesh Chander), Ambassador of India to Belarus Posted on November 20, 2010

Ambedkartimes.com condoles the death of Shri Bhagwan Das, a legendary Ambedkarite, who deeply spread the mission and philosophy of Baba Sahib Dr. B.R. Ambedkar especially in Punjab and in whole India in general. He was the pioneered in publishing the speeches of Baba Sahib Dr. Ambedkar under the title Thus Spoke Ambedkar in four volumes at a time when there was no literature available on Baba Sahib’s views. He was a renowned scholar of Urdu and Hindi as well. He wrote extensively in Hindi too.

Shri Bhagwan Das was the founder member of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (India Chapter) with its headquarters in New York and Geneva. He was also the Director, Asian Centre for Human Rights; member of the Governing Board and Executive Committee of Asian Conference on Religion and Peace having its headquarters at Tokyo; and President of the Dalit Solidarity Programme. He remained active in his endeavours towards the mission up till his last breath.
Ambedkartimes.com pays floral tributes to the legendary Ambedkarite. His inspiration will always be with us to achieve the mission.
Prem Kumar Chumber
Editor-in-Chief (Ambedkartimes.com) Posted on November 18, 2010

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