1.
Multi-crore scheme for Dalits in Punjab
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003082109300500.htm


PATIALA AUG. 20. The Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in
Punjab here today launched a Rs 500 crore scheme to provide latrines
to ten lakh families of Dalits and other weaker sections of society
to mark 59th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Launching the ``Rajiv Gandhi Pendu Jan Sehat Kalyan Yojna'' here, the
Chief Minister said that Rs 142 crores had been allocated for the
current year when about two lakh toilets would be constructed in
beneficiary individual houses free of cost. The scheme would be
completed in three years, he said.

He criticised the former Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, for
having opposed the Rajiv-Longowal accord alleging that his
predecessor was never interested in the signing of the accord. Paying
tributes to Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, whose death anniversary
also falls today, Capt. Singh said that, but for leaders like Mr.
Badal, peace could have returned to Punjab earlier.

Talking to reporters Capt. Singh said that the government proposes to
launch an ``Aashirwaad'' scheme for the girls. The details would be
worked out soon, he said adding that the launching of this scheme and
other welfare measures would depend on availability of funds.

Those present included Rural Development and Panchayat Minister,
Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who said there were no differences within the
party leadership. --PTI


2.
Dalit sadhus feel cast in the wrong mould
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?
template=Nashikumbh&slug=Dalit+sadhus+feel+cast+in+the+wrong+mould&id=
41605&callid=1

Shikha Trivedy

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 (Nashik):

For centuries, the spotlight has perhaps justifiably always been on
sadhus during the Kumbh.

However, dalit sadhus are trying to create their own space at the
gathering. But they have to be careful to avoid being detected as
dalits by the upper caste sadhus.

Sadhu Balak Ram, sits quietly in a corner at the Balmiki temple in
Nashik, praying to the God of dalits - Balmiki Maharaj.

Money talks

Balak Ram has spent his life as a sweeper cleaning the tents of upper
caste sadhus. Now as he looks back at his life he says if only he had
the money, he would have been the most sought after sadhu at the
Kumbh.

"We have no money and no organisation behind us," says Balak Nath, a
dalit sadhu.

The next day it became clear what he had meant when he donned the
sadhu's garb for his day at the Kumbh.

As people saw the television cameras, they thought Balak Ram must be
an important guru and the effect was quite dramatic.


The faithful fell at his feet and sadhus who otherwise practice
untouchability invited him into their tents to discuss religious
matters.

Some are more equal…

"The sadhus don't accept us. They only want us to serve them but they
will not treat us as equals," says Balak Nath.

But he knows it's only his anonymity today that bridged the distance
between him and the world of caste Hindus. That is why he and other
dalit sadhus don't dare to move around together.

And the only way for them to take the holy dip at the Kumbh is to go
one by one so that their caste status is not recognised.

"Our children wanted to send us in a procession like the other sadhus
on elephants and in chariots but the sadhus amongst us got scared
because of untouchability. If the upper caste sadhus found out, they
would not let us bathe on the same ghats as them," says Balak Nath.

Balak Nath would have loved to be a part of the spiritual world of
the Kumbh, pitched his tent here and preached the love of God that
all Hindus share. But all Hindus are still not ready to share it with
him.

3.

Dalits to boycott carcass feeding
Kathmandu Post (Nepal)
By Dil Bahadur Chhatyal

DIPAYAL, Aug 13 Dalits in remote villages of Doti district are
gearing up to boycott the age-old practice of feeding on carcass.
Backed by various organisations, the Dalits have started awareness
campaigns to uplift their lives.

As part of the campaign, Dalits in Sanagaon staged a rally chanting
slogans against carcass feeding recently. They chanted slogans such
as "I shall neither eat carcass nor dispose a dead animal of so-
called higher class people." The rally was initiated by National
Dalit Society.

It is a common practice in the hilly districts of far-western Nepal
that each Dalit family has contact with an upper class family called
Rithi or the master. Whenever a cattle of a Rithi dies, the concerned
Dalit family is informed. The family drags the dead cattle to their
house with the help of neighbours. The carcass is then cut into
pieces for consumption, informed Janaki Devi Nepali of Mudhbhara area.

"Sometimes Dalits here eat a cattle even two days after its death,"
said Nepali. "It has been the duty of Dalits to dispose off the dead
cattle of upper class people. This is the very reason why Dalits are
viewed as untouchables."

Feeding on carcass is the psychological reason why the upper class
society regards Dalits as untouchables, according to Raju Nepali, a
member of Dalit Women Organisation, Doti.

Due to lack of awareness and illiteracy, Dalits consider that they
are destined to feed carcass and subjected to stay in a dirty
environment, opined intellectuals. As the Dalits consume carcass,
they are found infected with various types of diseases. Epidemics
often surface in Dalit communities due to carcass eating, according
to Rajendra Kandel, a health assistant at the Regional Health
Directorate.

4.
Dalit sadhus feel cast in the wrong mould
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?
template=Nashikumbh&slug=Dalit+sadhus+feel+cast+in+the+wrong+mould&id=
41605&callid=1
Shikha Trivedy

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 (Nashik):

For centuries, the spotlight has perhaps justifiably always been on
sadhus during the Kumbh.

However, dalit sadhus are trying to create their own space at the
gathering. But they have to be careful to avoid being detected as
dalits by the upper caste sadhus.

Sadhu Balak Ram, sits quietly in a corner at the Balmiki temple in
Nashik, praying to the God of dalits - Balmiki Maharaj.

Money talks

Balak Ram has spent his life as a sweeper cleaning the tents of upper
caste sadhus. Now as he looks back at his life he says if only he had
the money, he would have been the most sought after sadhu at the
Kumbh.

"We have no money and no organisation behind us," says Balak Nath, a
dalit sadhu.

The next day it became clear what he had meant when he donned the
sadhu's garb for his day at the Kumbh.

As people saw the television cameras, they thought Balak Ram must be
an important guru and the effect was quite dramatic.


The faithful fell at his feet and sadhus who otherwise practice
untouchability invited him into their tents to discuss religious
matters.

Some are more equal…

"The sadhus don't accept us. They only want us to serve them but they
will not treat us as equals," says Balak Nath.

But he knows it's only his anonymity today that bridged the distance
between him and the world of caste Hindus. That is why he and other
dalit sadhus don't dare to move around together.

And the only way for them to take the holy dip at the Kumbh is to go
one by one so that their caste status is not recognised.

"Our children wanted to send us in a procession like the other sadhus
on elephants and in chariots but the sadhus amongst us got scared
because of untouchability. If the upper caste sadhus found out, they
would not let us bathe on the same ghats as them," says Balak Nath.

Balak Nath would have loved to be a part of the spiritual world of
the Kumbh, pitched his tent here and preached the love of God that
all Hindus share. But all Hindus are still not ready to share it with
him.


5.

http://dailypioneer.com/displayit1.asp?
pathit=/main_archives/front_page/story655.txt

Once a Left ideologue, he bays for Dalits' blood
Navin Upadhyay/Masaudhi (Patna)

The once championed the cause of the "working classes, downtrodden,
and sections on the fringes of society". He once aspired to lead the
Red Army against Central Bihar's landlords. He did well for himself
to rise to the No 2 in the party. And one fine morning, convinced
that he was no match for the party's "supreme leader" in the region,
left the outfit. And decided to chart a new course for himself.

He is Jainandan Yadav. The party is People's War Group. He left, for
he couldn't have worked under a Dalit, Madhir Mochi. And now his sole
agenda is to exterminate the Dalits. This is the story of a
fiery "comrade-turned-class enemy" whose name now evokes terror and
acquiescence among the Dalits and landless in the region.

So much so that Patna's rural SP, Paras Nath, had to in Masaudhi for
35 days at a stretch (May 25 to June 30) to contain the reign of
terror unleashed by this "once-revolutionary".


Police sources say, this is perhaps the first such instance when a SP
and a special task force has had to camp in a sub-division for five
continuous weeks to deal with a single outlaw.

However, the police could make little headway in taming the "Terror
of Masaudhi" and he is still at large butchering the hapless Dalits
with immunity.

Incidentally, the rural SP had again been camping in Masaudhi after
the massacre of six dalits by Jainandan in nearby Mataudna village on
last Thursday, when he decided to strike again at Dhanrua on
Wednesday.

Jainandan's modus operandi is simple: He collects extortion through
posters. Says Biswananth Chudhary, a local trader, "He would often
put up posters and name the traders who were asked to deposit to him.
Those who defied were killed," Chaudhary said. At least 50 people
have been killed in and around Masaudhi during the last six months.

In fact, during the last Assembly session, local MLA of Masaudhi,
Dharmendar Yadav, had created a furore in the House by seeking
protection from Jainandan. He had said that the outlaw had asked for
Rs 5 lakh as protection money so as "he could live happily ever
after".

The Pioneer has learnt that the matter was settled after the
intervention of Jainandan's top political patrons. Even with Bihar's
standard of notoriety, this is probably the first case where a
criminal resorts to such brazen method to collect extortion money and
the police is left doing virtually nothing.

However, the rural SP explained that the police is groping in the
dark "because they do not have even a picture of the outlaw". "As
long as he was in the PWG, he was hardly known. He has come out of
the PWG for over a year. But since then few have seen him.

Fewer still will admit knowing anything about him. So we hardly have
any information on him," the SP said.

This correspondent was on Jainandan's trail in Masaudhi on Wednesday,
just a few kilometres from Dhanrua where six Dalits would be killed
by his gang later the same night. People are scared even to talk
about this ex-cadre of the People's War Group, who last year walked
out of the Naxal outfit over difference with its Dalit area commander
Madhir Mochi, and since then has been selectively killing Mochi's
castemen.

Rural SP Paras Nath told The Pioneer that Jainandan is killing anyone
who is supposed to have any sympathy with the PWG. "Since he has been
in the PW for so long, he very well knows the sympathisers of Madhir
Mochi. Hence the instances of selective killing," the rural SP said.

The rural SP candidly admitted that Dalits feared Jainandan like
death. "The Dalits are scared of him. That is a fact. He has only
targeted dalits during the last year of his independent operation,"
the rural SP said. The rural SP disclosed that he had camped in
Masaudhi five weeks at the written order of the DGP between may 25
and June 30 because there were reports that Jainanandan was planning
to strike in a big way. "We are not taking any chances, " he said.
Inquiry revealed that the 20 km stretch of Masaudhi-Pali road was
virtually closed for over an year after Jainanand killed two bus
drivers when they refused to pay him the toll.

Inquiry also revealed that Jainandan Yadav enjoys the protection of a
powerful ruling party politician, who is state minister in Rabri
Devi's cabinet. The police has reportedly also obtained confessional
statement of some members of Jainanand's gang who have openly
confessed about their " boss'" like with the said minister. The
special branch's dossier on Jainandan Yadav also speaks of his
political connection, sources said.

The rural SP disclosed that they had recovered a cartridge of AK-47
rifle from nearby Mataunda village, where six dalits including a
woman were hacked and shot dead on Thursday last. " It shows that
Jainandan's gang is also equipped with ak-47 assault rifles," he said.

Latest reports have also shown that Jainandan Yadav has established
link with the MCC, which is dominated by his castemen, and engaged in
a battle of supremacy with the People's War in the area. It has
fuelled apprehensions of more Dalit-Yadav clashes and bloodbath in
the days to come.