September 17, 2008 at · Filed under Seminar, Dalit Atrocities
Manuski project is working on the issues of caste based violence, Atrocities, practice of untouchability and manual scavenging. These inhuman practices and violence is the outcome of the three millennium old caste system in India. The caste system is not only the longest surviving system of slavery in the world, but also the most exploitative religious scheme to exploit humans treated as polluted and lower than animals.
Though Indian economy is surging ahead on the stock indices, the traditional forms of atrocities continue and poverty is ever increasing. The peaceful social revolution based on the Constitution drafted by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Buddhism is often met with violence, social boycott and deprival of basic human rights to the lower castes. Manuski campaigned after the horrible Khairlanji massacre involving killing of 4 members of the Buddhist family. This case is just one of the hundreds of cases of violence against the people classed as the untouchables.
Recent months saw killings of the leading community leaders who were trying to lead the community out of caste structure and embracing Buddhism. To start the state level discussion on the abolition of caste and practice of untouchability, whose worst manifestation is the manual scavenging where people are forced to carry human excreta on their heads, Manuski is working closely with a grass root level organisation Campaign for Human Rights (CHR) led by Eknath Awad, a leader of the many dispossessed castes in the state of Maharashtra.
The purpose of this series is to disseminate information, reasons and finding on issues of social exclusion and discrimination, caste and untouchability based discrimination, manual scavenging in Indian society and other Human rights organisations.
It is hoped that the series of seminars will be beneficial not only to activists but also to students, academicians and civil society organisations. The seminars will be conducted in four places in Maharashtra State as mentioned below:
1. Milind Mahavidyalay, Aurangabad 28th Septermber, 2008
2. Yeshwantrao Chauvan Social Work College, Satara 19th October, 2008
3. Nagarjuna Institute, Nagaloka, Nagpur 2nd November, 2008
4. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 9th November, 2008
Activists, academicians and students are requested to present a paper, article, case studies on the aforementioned subject and be present to nearest place from their residence. The articles can be mailed at eknathawad@gmail.com or pktelang@gmail.com. The report will be published on the eve of Human Rights Day, and will be submitted to Government and various agencies working on Human Rights.
For more details contact:
1. Adv. Eknath Awad, CHR - eknathawad@gmail.com +91-9422243133
2. Priyadarshi Telang, Manuski - priyadarshi@jambudvipa.org +91-9271211965
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July 15, 2008 at · Filed under Dalit Atrocities
In a shocking incident, the newly converted Budhhist was hackled to death when he was going to Jamkhed from his residential village of Sonegaon.
Baban Misal was borne into Matang Caste which is included in the Schedule Caste. He was a former President of Panchayat Samiti of Jamkhed. Recently he had been elected as a member of Director of Committee on Marketting Agricultural Products.
He was an active member of Campaign for Human Rights, a citizens’ forum working especially for the Dalit human Rights. He embraced Budhhism last year at Diksha Bhoomi, Nagpur. He had arranged a Dhamma Conference last year in Jamkhed & was present with his family in the Dhamma Conference of Ahmadangar.
He had attained prosperity because of his hard work in the Society for Fishermen. He was also actively agitating for the rights of the farmers not only of his own caste but for the other caste people too. He was unquestioned leader of his own caste as well as the of the other caste people. In 1991, the houses in the ghetto of Matang Caste people were burnt by some of the men from Maratha, the hindu caste people. The accused of that crime were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 16 months. They were released from jail a few months back. It had become unbearable for them to see the popularity of Baban Misal.
On 6th of June 08, when he was going to Jamkhed from Sonegaon with his friend Shayam Sathe after requesting the engineer of the dam to release water for the farmers’s land downhill, a car numbered MH-12 YA- 7929 dashed his motorbike from behind. He got thrown over on the road. All the six accused namely, Kailash Jadhav, Shahaji Bolbhat, Arun Bhagat, Harish Birangal, Tatyarao Jadhav, Rajesh Walke (all between age of 30 -40 years) caught him. A scuffle ensued between them. But since the accused possessed axes, daggers & sickles, they overpowered them and threatened his friend Shaym Sathe to leave the place. When they got assured that Shyam left the place, they completely defaced the victim by brutally crushing his face due to which he died on the spot. Then they cut his hand and legs into pieces throwing into different directions. Then they ran away from the place.
Shyam witnessed all this, hiding behind the wall of nearby well, and later he called fellow beings from village to help. Due to hue & cry of the peole all the accused are now arrested and booked under sections of 302, 143, 147,148, 149, 341, 323, 504,506, 3(2)(i) & 3(1)(x) of Prevention of Atrocity Act and 7(1)(3) of Protection of Civil Rights. But the Corporator, from Vashi, New Mumbai, Bharat Jadhav who is abettor of the crime is not still arrested. In the clash of the accused and victims, Misal got hold of the hairs of one of the accused which stuck in his nails. The Deputy S. P. Doiphode is investigating the case.
The Campaign for Human Rights activist Mr. Arun Jadhav, is following up the matter closely. They have also demanded security for Shyam. Like Baban Misal, many activist are trained in CHR under the leadership of Adv. Eknath Awad. For further information please mail to eknathawad@gmail.com.
