By N Siddoji Rao (Founder, Help-Desk for Underprivileged) I am from a homeless background and belong to a Scheduled Caste. I lost my parents at the age of seven. I had nine siblings. I lost three sisters and two brothers to hunger. I studied in government schools and stayed at government hostels. In the …
Bhagana protests: National Commission for Scheduled Castes promises action
[Via Ratnesh Kumar] In a significant development in the Bhagana case National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Vice Chairperson Dr Raj Kumar Verka met the victims of Bhagana at his office on 5th June 2014. Owing to the seriousness of the matter he immediately ordered stern action against the culprits and issued an order …
The Image of the Enemy
Nidhin Shobhana This essay is an outcome of a conversation I had with myself. The slaughter of Mohsin Shaikh, a Muslim technology professional was my point of departure. It was a reminder of a potent threat and a safe illusion – the threat of being a minority in an Organized Brahmanic Majoritarian Order and …
Politicising the personal: Who am I, Who are ‘we’ as people?
Sinthujan Varatharajah Few diasporans will today come to talk about how caste practices in regards to marriage respond to larger political dynamics and power relations. Endogamy, as the most common marriage practice amongst Hindus, necessarily leads to social exclusion and discrimination. Marriage is traditionally assumed to be the foundation of a political institution, the family. …
Bolstering Privilege: Reservation Debates During Elections 2014
Indrajit Roy As political commentators celebrate or bemoan the supposed change in the Indian polity with the ‘advent’ of Narendra Modi, it is important to highlight the fact that political parties were largely silent about social justice during the just-concluded elections. In fact, two of the largest political parties- the party that won the …
Bhagana: Laboratory of Dalit atrocities and resistance
(This report is sourced from the Hindi blog Raffoo. It has been translated by Akshay Pathak and Atul Anand) Dalits have always been subjected to atrocities by the upper castes and it has to do with the filthy and unjust social structure that we live in. But the incident that happened in Bhagana village …
‘UPA and NDA are two sides of the same coin’: Sudhir Dhawale
Round Table India spoke to writer and political activist Sudhir Dhawale in Mumbai last week, after his release from a long term spent in prison due to false charges of being involved in Naxal activities. Arrested in January 2011, he was acquitted last week by Gondia’s sessions court after the police failed to produce …
Long March Against Dalit Atrocities in Maharashtra
Sunil Dudhe This year marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of the book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ by Dr. Ambedkar. Dr. Ambedkar fought with perseverance till his death against the caste system in Indian society. For this cause he incorporated the ideals of democracy, freedom, equality and brotherhood as fundamental principles in the constitution. …
A Round Table meeting against unlawful Rustication of Three EFLU Students
Students’ Forum for Justice A Round Table meeting was held today at Sundarayya Vignana Kendra, Hyderabad, to decide the demands and future course of action regarding the unlawful rustication of 3 student leaders—Mohan Dharavath, Satish Nainala and Subhash Kumar—from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad. The students were rusticated on 6th May …