April 2018 caste protests in India

Last updated

April 2018 caste protests in India
Date2 April 2018
Location
India
Caused byThe Supreme Court order on the Atrocities Act
GoalsTo prevent the dilution of the Atrocities Act
Methods Protesting, mobbing, Bandh
Resulted inParliament of India passes SC/ST Amendment act 2018, to overrule Supreme Court judgement
Casualties
Death(s)14 [1]
Arrested100 (Haryana) [2]
about 10000 (Uttar Pradesh)/>

In early April 2018, thousands of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) protested across India against an order of the Supreme Court on the dilution of Atrocities Act. In subsequent violence, 14 dalit people died and hundreds were injured. [1] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Later, the Parliament of India passed the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018, which reversed the Supreme Court judgement [6] . The amendment act was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2020 [7] .


Background

The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 protects the SC/ST caste groups. The act does not allow the court to grant anticipatory bail to accused person. The police must file a First Information Report (FIR) and arrest the accused on receiving a complaint. [8] In 2016, the conviction rate under the act was 25.7% in cases of atrocities against SC and 20.8% in cases against ST in 2016, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. [9] On 20 March 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that no arrests can be made without prior permission and allowed a court to grant an anticipatory bail if it, prima facie, finds the complaint an abuse of the law. [8] The Attorney General of India, on behalf of the Government of India, filed a review petition against the order of the Supreme Court. [10]

Protests

The people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) protested against the Supreme Court order. [11] Thousands of people took to the streets on 2 April 2018, when a national strike was announced by representatives of the SC/ST caste groups in protest of the decision. The protests turned violent across several states in India as the protestors blocked trains, damaged property, and clashed with police and other civilians. There were also incidents involving arson, vandalism and gunfire. At least fourteen people were killed: nine in Madhya Pradesh, [12] Three in Uttar Pradesh, two in Rajasthan; hundreds of others were injured. [13] [1] [14] Violent incidents were also reported in the states Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi. [15] [16]

Suspected non-Dalit groups, who were angered by the rampage, targeted Dalit slums in retaliation and burnt the house of Bharosi Lal Jatav, a former MLA Indian National Congress (INC) legislator, and ransacked the home of Rajkumari Jatav, a MLA Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Hindaun, Rajasthan. A curfew was imposed in Hindaun following the violence, and later extended. [17]

Twenty four government vehicles and sixty private vehicles were damaged in Haryana. [2] 84 police officials and eight civilians were injured during the violence on 2 April in Haryana. [2] Nine policemen were injured in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. [18]

Response

Thousands of protesters were arrested and curfew was imposed in several places. 1700 anti-riot police were sent to states by the Government of India. [15] Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) (which prohibits assembly of more than four people) was imposed in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. [19] Police had filed reports against 5,000 unidentified and 285 named miscreants, while 32 agitators were arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in Ghaziabad. [18] At least fifteen FIRs were registered by the police in Ludhiana, Punjab against hundreds of unidentified protesters for alleged road blockades and for causing obstructions. [20] The Haryana Police booked around 4,000 persons and 100 others were arrested for indulging in violence while as many as 47 FIRs were lodged. [2] The internet services were suspended in Punjab and Rajasthan. [21]

Aftermath

The Supreme Court held hearing on the review petition on 3 April 2018 but did not stay the order and have called to hear the matter in ten days [1]

Later, the Parliament of India passed the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018, which reversed the Supreme Court judgement [22] . The amendment act was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2020 [23] .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandh</span> General strike

Bandh is a form of protest used by political activists in South Asian countries such as India and Nepal. It is similar to a general strike. During a bandh, a political party or a community declare a general strike. For example, a Bharat bandh is a call for a bandh across India, and a bandh can also be called for an individual state or municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalit</span> Marginalized castes in India and other South Asian countries

Dalit is a term first coined by the Indian social reformer Jyotirao Phule for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold varna of the caste hierarchy and were seen as forming a fifth varna, also known by the name of Panchama. Several scholars have drawn parallels between Dalits and the Burakumin of Japan, the Baekjeong of Korea and the peasant class of the medieval European feudal system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindaun</span> City in Rajasthan, India

Hindaun is a city and municipality, near city of Karauli in Karauli district, Rajasthan, India. It has a population of 105690 and is governed by a municipal council.

Reservation is a system of affirmative action in India created during the British rule. Based on provisions in the Indian Constitution, it allows the Union Government and the States and Territories of India to set a percentage of reserved quotas or seats, in higher education admissions, employment, political bodies, etc., for "socially and economically backward citizens".

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Act, 1989 was enacted by the Parliament of India to prevent atrocities and hate crimes against the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. In popular usage, including in parliamentary debates and in the judgements of the Supreme Court of India, this law is referred to as the SC/ST Act. It is also referred to as the 'Atrocities Act', POA, and PoA.

The Khairlanji massacre was the murder of four Scheduled Caste citizens by villagers of Khairlanji on 29 September 2006. The killings took place in the small Indian village of Khairlanji (Kherlanji), located in the Bhandara district of the state of Maharashtra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caste-related violence in India</span>

Caste-related violence in India has occurred and continues to occur in various forms.

The Tsundur Massacre refers to the killing of several Dalit people in the village of Tsundur, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India, on 6 August 1991. 8 Dalits were massacred by Reddy men with the alleged help of the police. When a young graduate Dalit youth was beaten because his feet unintentionally touched a Reddy woman near a cinema hall, the Dalits of the village supported him. As a result, Dalits were socially boycotted by the Reddy landowners of the village. Many Dalits have lost their livelihood as they depend on the daily wages by working in the paddy fields of the Reddys. The significance of this atrocity was Dalits collectively fought to gain legal justice by invoking SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989.

In the 2012 Dharmapuri violence, a Vanniyar caste mob set fire to about 268 Dalit houses in Natham, old and new Kondampatti and Annanagar Dalit colonies in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu on 8 November 2012. The violence occurred after a Vanniyar girl from Sellankottai village, and a Dalit boy, from the neighbouring Dalit colony of Natham, fled due to parental opposition to get married. A caste panchayat held on the morning of 7 November by leaders from both communities ruled that the girl be returned to her family. Distraught at her decision to stay with her husband, her father allegedly committed suicide. The discovery of his body later that day is said to have provoked a 1,500-strong mob to rampage through Natham and two smaller Dalit settlements, Kondampatti and Anna Nagar, where it set ablaze over 200 houses, damaged at least 50 others, and allegedly looted valuables and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The mob rampaged for four hours and was brought under control after arrest of 90 men and an additional deployment of 1000 policemen.

Mirchpur is an Indus Valley civilization site and village in Narnaund, Hissar district, Haryana, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jat reservation agitation</span> 2016 violent protests

The Jat reservation agitation was a series of violent protests in February 2016 by the Jats of North India, especially those in the state of Haryana, which "paralysed" the state for 10 days. The protestors sought inclusion of their caste in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, which would make them eligible for affirmative action benefits. Besides Haryana, the protests also spread to the neighbouring states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the National Capital Region.

On 29 March 2016, Delta Meghwal, a 17-year-old Dalit girl, was found dead at her college in Nokha, Bikaner district in the state of Rajasthan, India. Her body was found in a water tank of the Jain Adarsh Teacher Training Institute for Girls where she was a student. A First Information Report (FIR) lodged by her parents stated that she told them on 28 March that she had been raped by a teacher who, it is alleged, then killed her. Meghwal's cause of death has not yet been officially established.

All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) is a platform for women from the Dalit community to raise their voices for justice. This platform has raised several struggles and movements for self-respect and dignity. AIDMAM is a movement which was initiated by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR). The aim of the movement is to recognize how the class, caste, and gender identity of a dalit woman overlap and place them at the very bottom of the social hierarchy. They work to empower dalit women to challenge these caste, class, and gender hierarchies and move forward in their struggle for justice. They do so through networking, enhancing skills and leadership at the state and district level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jignesh Mevani</span> Indian politician and activist

Jignesh Mevani is an Indian politician, lawyer, activist and former journalist serving as the representative of the Vadgam constituency in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly since 2017. He is a member of the Indian National Congress party. He is the convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM).

The 2018 battle of Bhima Koregaon refers to violence during an annual celebratory gathering on 1 January 2018 at Bhima Koregaon to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. The violence and stone pelting by a crowd at the gathering resulted in the death of a 28-year old youth and injuries to five others. The annual celebration, also called Elgar Parishad convention, was organised by retired justices B. G. Kolse Patil and P. B. Sawant. Justice Sawant stated that the term "Elgar" meant loud invitation or loud declaration.

The Bhim Sena, alternatively Bheem Sena, or Akhil Bhartiya Bhim Sena, abbreviated as ABBS, lit."All India Ambedkar Army", is an Ambedkarite social organization working for rights of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and religious minorities in India currently under national president, Nawab Satpal Tanwar. It works for protecting the Indian Constitution and reservation. The organisation is named after B. R. Ambedkar. Seema Chauhan is PRO of Bhim Sena.

Satpal Tanwar is an Indian social activist, and the founder and National President of Bhim Sena.

The 1997 Melavalavu massacre refers to the murder of a Panchayat President of the village and six other men of the Dalit community by dominant caste members in Melavalavu, Madurai on 30 June 1997. The men were hacked to death after some dominant caste members refused to accept a Panchayat president from the Dalit Community.

On 14 September 2020, a 19-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, India, by four men. She died two weeks later in a Delhi hospital.

The Mirchpur caste violence also known as the Mirchpur Dalit killings was an incident of violence against the Balmiki Dalits by upper caste Jat villagers in the village of Mirchpur, Haryana on April 21, 2010. A 70-year-old man and his polio affected disabled daughter of 17 years old were burnt alive when a mob of 300 to 1000 Jat villagers set fire to houses in the Balmiki colony where 18 houses were burnt down. 258 Dalit families fled the village over a span of the next eight years.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "SC refuses to stay its order on SC/ST Act; to hear matter". dna. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Violence during Bharat Bandh: 100 arrested in Haryana". The Indian Express. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "India's Lower-Caste Dalits Lead Nationwide Protests Against Court Judgment". The New York Times. REUTERS. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Anger in India as Lowest Caste Protests Supreme Court Order". The New York Times. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  5. ↑ "Eight dead in massive India caste protests". BBC. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "House clears bill to reverse SC verdict on SC/ST Act" . Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Supreme Court upholds constitutional validity of SC & ST Amendment Act, 2018" . Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Dalit fury and what led up to it". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  9. ↑ Johari, Aarefa. "Supreme Court says SC/ST Atrocities Act is misused. So what explains the low conviction rates?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "SC/ST Act: Centre files review petition, says data shows weak execution of law, not its misuse". Hindustan Times. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "'Bharat Bandh' against SC's ruling on SC/ST Act: Top developments", The Times of India , 3 April 2018
  12. ↑ Naveen, P (3 April 2018). "Bharat bandh: Death toll in Madhya Pradesh hits 7, 51 FIRs lodged". Times of India. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  13. ↑ Wu, Huizhong (3 April 2018). "10 killed as widespread Indian caste protests turn violent". CNN. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Bharat Bandh: 9 killed in Dalits protest over SC, ST act; train, internet services hit; top highlights". Financial Express. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Bharat Bandh LIVE: Nine Dead; 1,700 Anti-riot Police Personnel Sent to Violence-hit States". News18. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Bharat bandh highlights: Dalit protests spread across north India; 9 killed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP". Hindustan Times. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  17. ↑ Goswami, Rakesh (4 April 2018). "Dalit protests: Normalcy returns to Rajasthan's Hindaun but curfew remains". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  18. 1 2 "Dalit protests: 5,000 booked, 32 arrested for violence and arson in Ghaziabad". The Indian Express. PTI. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "Bharat Bandh: Section 144 imposed in Haridwar". Business Standard. ANI. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "Dalit protests: 15 FIRs against protesters in Ludhiana". The Indian Express. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Dalits in India hold protests against 'dilution' of SC/ST Act". Al Jazeera. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  22. ↑ "House clears bill to reverse SC verdict on SC/ST Act" . Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "Supreme Court upholds constitutional validity of SC & ST Amendment Act, 2018" . Retrieved 10 February 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.