Home / News / Urgent Appeals / INDIA: Dominant caste raid Dalit village with police protection
 

INDIA: Dominant caste raid Dalit village with police protection

November 24, 2002

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM
<br />

<br />
24 November 2002
<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<br />
UA-59-2002: Dominant caste raid Dalit village with police protection
<br />

<br />
INDIA: Caste-based discrimination; Destruction of property but impunity
<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<br />

<br />
On 22 November, we issued an appeal about a Dalit woman who was paraded half-naked to humiliate her into giving up on a land claim (see at http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2002/377/). We have received evidence of yet another atrocity on Dalits in India over a separate land dispute ¡© this time it was a raid on a whole Dalit village in Karnataka by the dominant caste community.
<br />

<br />
The aim of both these attacks is to use existing caste discrimination to prevent Dalits from achieving the access to land essential to their empowerment. We urge you to act on behalf of impoverished Dalits who are punished for trying to break free of the shackles of caste bondage. Details of this case are provided below, thanks to the efforts of the leaders and activists of Rural Education for Development Society (REDS) in Tumkur.
<br />

<br />

<br />
DETAILS OF THE CASE
<br />

<br />
The following incident occurred in Ujjani village of Huliyurdurga hobli in Kunigal taluk, Tumkur District, Karnataka, India. On November 6, 2002, 94 Dalit homes have been damaged, irrigation destroyed, cattle stolen and the few goods of this impoverished community looted in an attack by a dominant caste group. The local police sub-inspector Mr. Mallash, who is himself from the dominant caste group (Vokkaliga) has been implicated as supporting and guiding the attack for the purpose of preventing the Dalits from attaining their legal land rights.
<br />

<br />
Moreover, when one of the Dalits, Mr. Sreenivas, went to Mr. Mallesh to complain of being attacked by the dominant caste group, instead of registering the case or making further inquiries Mr. Mallesh beat up Mr. Sreenivas and retained him in the station until evening. After his release some leaders of the Dalit community went to complain to Mr. Mallesh, and finding him abusive and casteist, resolved to take the matter to his superior.
<br />

<br />
Suddenly after this a Vokkaliga Forum came into existence with a pamphlet announcing a protest march on November 6 against the Dalits in Kunigal. The Dalit leaders are sure that the PSI Mallesh was behind the march and the following incidents.
<br />

<br />
On the day of the procession about 300 people assembled in Kunigal, conducted a protest march shouting slogans against the Dalit community and made public speeches which were highly inflammatory in nature. They warned that Ujjani would be turned into another Kampalapalli (another village in Karnataka where 7 Dalits were burnt alive by the same Vokkaliga community on 11 March 2000).
<br />

<br />
In the evening of the same day, before the Dalit men could return home from their work a group from the dominant caste entered the Dalit area and began to attack the people as well as damage their houses. First they broke all the lights and disconnected power. There was no resistance to their vandalism as most men were not present on the scene. The two policemen who were posted there for protection had left duty exactly at the time of the attack, which indicates again that PSI Mallesh may have been involved in planning the attack on the Dalits. Women and children were attacked.
<br />

<br />
After complaints from Rural Education for Development Society (REDS), the Superintendent of Police and Inspector General visited the area on the following two days. They talked to the Dalit people, assessed the damages and ordered for compensation. They also placed two policemen under suspension. Kunne Gowda (who made one of the inflammatory speeches) and three others were arrested but were released on bail. Since release they have frequently returned to the Dalit villages and threatened the Dalits with further violence. REDS informed the IG that the violence relates directly to the practice of Untouchability that still continues today in the area despite the practice being banned in India 54 years hence.
<br />

<br />
PSI Mallesh has filed questionable cases against two of the local Dalit leaders named 'Dalit' and Sreenivas, but no action has been taken against Mr. Mallesh himself by the authorities. Despite pleas by police, the Dalit community went ahead with a mass protest fast on 12 November in all parts of Tumkur district and peacefully delivered the following Memorandum to the authorities.
<br />

<br />

<br />
THE MEMORANDUM
<br />

<br />
1. Atrocities on the Dalit people are on the increase in Tumkur District in the last two years. We highlight the incidents of Goolaruve (Tumkur taluk), Brahmmasandra and Gamkaranahalli of Madhugiri taluk, Chennanukunte of Sira taluk, Uddehosakere of Gubbi taluk, Agrahara of Koratagere taluk and Chikkanayakanahalli of Pavagada taluk are only some examples. THE GOVERNMENT MUST ORDER AN ENQUIRY AS TO WHY THE OFFICIAL MACHINERY OF THE DISTRICT HAS FAILED TO CHECK ATROCITIES ON DALIT PEOPLE ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
<br />

<br />
2. The brain and inspiration behind the present atrocity on the Dalit people in Ujjani is PSI Mallesh and his unholy caste alliance with the local MLA. This is the predominant representation of the Dalit people to the SP when he visited the village. PSI MALLESH MUST BE IMMEDIATELY PLACED UNDER SUSPENSION IF NOT DISMISSED FROM SERVICE. SUCH OFFICERS WILL BE ALWAYS A BLOT IN THE GOOD NAME OF THE GOVERNMENT.
<br />

<br />
3. Innocent people who have nothing to do with even the land dispute have been made victims of the hooliganism of the vokkaliga forum. KUNNE GOWDA, PUTTURAMU TEACHER, RAMALINGAIAH, RAMESH, KUNTHUR THAMMANNA GOWDA AND RAMAKRISHNA, WHO MADE INFLAMMATORY SPEECHES ON 06-11-02 MUST BE IMMEDIATELY ARRESTED AND PUT BEHIND BARS WITHOUT ANY DELAY.
<br />

<br />
4. The Dalit people who are already poor have suffered further damages to their properties. This brings on them additional burden of restoring their homes apart from restoring their dignity as human beings. IMMEDIATE AND ENHANCED COMPENSATION MUST BE PAID TO ALL VICTIMS OF THIS VANDALISM.
<br />

<br />
5. The vokkaliga forum has plans for further action against the Dalits with the support of the local MLA. THE ROLE OF LOCAL POLITICANS IN UJJANI ATTACK MUST BE INVESTIGATED AND THE FORUM MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO GO AHEAD WITH ANY FURTHER PLANS SO AS TO MAINTAIN PEACE AND HARMONY IN THE VILLAGE.
<br />

<br />
6. Quite unnecessarily Mallesh has booked two non-bailable cases against Dalit and Sreenivas. This is a highly provocative act of Mallesh in collusion with the local MLA. We are surprised that while two policemen have been placed under suspension no action has yet been taken against Mallesh who is the primary cause for the attack on the Dalit people. He must be actually arrested under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and put in jail. Instead of that he has been allowed to register cases against two innocent Dalits. THE CASES AGAINST BOTH SREENIVAS AND DALIT MUST BE IMMEDIATELY WITHDRAWN BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THEY MUST BE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO THEIR VILLAGES TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR.
<br />

<br />

<br />
APPEAL FOR ACTION FROM REDS
<br />

<br />
Now it is time that all those who stand for dignity and rights of the people must begin to act. We appeal to all to write letters to the Chief Minister and Home Minister of Karnataka to safeguard the security of the Dalit people not only in Ujjani but all over Karnataka and to take legal action against the PSI and the dominant caste people who attacked the Dalits.
<br />

<br />
We also request the National Human Rights Commission to ask for a report of Ujjani situation from the Government of Karnataka and take necessary steps to prevent any further atrocity on the Dalit people. The present Chief Minister of Karnataka who described the atrocity on Kampalapalli Dalits as BARBARIC must realize that it is the same caste people and it is his caste people who are doing this again and again. The first act of regret and rectification must start from him.
<br />

<br />

<br />
PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO;
<br />

<br />
Hon. Sri. S.M. Krishna
<br />
Chief Minister of Karnataka
<br />
Kumarakrupa Road,
<br />
Bangalore - 560 001,
<br />
INDIA
<br />
Email: cm@kar.nic.in
<br />
Fax: +91-80-2281021
<br />
Tel: +91-80-225 2572/73/74
<br />

<br />
Hon. Sri. Mallikarjuna Kharge
<br />
Home Minister of Karnataka
<br />
INDIA
<br />
Fax: +91-80-2251798
<br />
Tel: +91-80-2251798
<br />

<br />

<br />

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-59-2002
Countries :
Issues :
Document Actions
Share |
Subscribe to our Mailing List
Follow AHRC
Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.