Assault on dalits with dalit president as cover?
Even as Sangh Parivar tries its best to cover casteism by selling the dream of ‘Hindutva’ as a lofty ideal, the wound is getting deeper with time. It has been proved time and again that wealth, power or office can never really compensate for the caste based discrimination a lower caste person feels in our country.People are getting killed for having ridden a horse on the wedding day, or riding a motorcycle, or for having deskinned a dead cattle, or for entering a temple so on and so forth. If the dalits consolidate against such tyranny, the government does not even hesitate to brand them naxals.
When the government tried amending and thus weakening act that protects dalits such as atrocity act, the dalits came together in solidarity. The government consistently silenced the voices. And amidst all this, the BJP government at the centre repeatedly says “We elevated a dalit to the post of Rashtrapati.” This fact, is really a matter of great pride to India. But then, how difficult it is to assault dalits by having a dalit man as cover?
President Ramnath Kovind has been elevated to the highest chair not just because he is a dalit, but because he has accepted the RSS ideals. He does not accede to Ambedkar’s ideology. A dalit leader can never be able to balance Ambedkar and RSS ideals together. Those ideals can never coexist.
Beyond this, it is an open secret as to what RSS’s stance is about dalits. And yet, if BJP and RSS desperately need a Kovind’s pretext to cover their lacunae, it is to stop dalits from consolidating against BJP and the RSS ideology.
Since they very well understand an upper caste man implementing RSS ideology can be quite dangerous, they need a dalit leader for the job. And hence, Kovind was put in the highest office in the country. If the country celebrates elevation of a dalit to the high office, the underlying agenda is quite disappointing. After him being made the President, cases of assaults against dalits countrywide have increased manifold.
On earlier occasions, assaults against Dalits were pretty individualistic and sporadic too. Assault on dalit consolidations were rare. System would hesitate to launch an assault on them. But in the recent times, upper caste people are consistently attacking dalits as a whole with the help of the legal system.
Sangh parivar members launched organized attacks on dalits during a march to oppose the court ruling, and Bhima-Koregaon march incidents. Whenever such incidents are cited, BJP shows Kovind as its safety net and escapes from serious charges. Which means, BJP will use a dalit against dalits and continue assaulting them.
But then, the real spirit of Manu ideology has come out in the open with the incident that took place in relation to the President in Puri Jagannath temple in Orissa. About two months ago, President Ramnath Kovind had visited the temple with his wife and he was stopped from entering the sanctum sanctorum. His wife was even pushed around. This is a shocking incident. That this incident was kept under wraps for two months is even more surprising for the nation. Now the government has ordered for an inquiry into the incident. This humiliation meted out against the President is an insult to the country.
Government should have immediately initiated some disciplinary action and saved the reputation of both the President and the country at large.
But the government probably deemed it important to save the reputation of the preists over the President. Hence everything was covered up so far. This incident has sent a very disturbing message that no matter how high a Dalit grows, he/she would always be perceived in the perspective of his/her caste and that they wouldn’t be allowed inside the temple.
This also emphasizes on the fact that other dalits also need to learn to swallow their self respect like President Kovind. Many years ago, the case of an MP receiving Prasad outside the premises of the temple had given rise to serious debate. He had even said: “I stood out so that their sentiments are not hurt.”
With that, he had insulted lakhs and crores of dalits. Unfortunately, even within BJP no one protested against this treatment to President Kovind. Even the opposition parties didn’t deem it fit to speak against it. Dalit organisations have also maintained strategic silence over this. Puri incident is a strong example of using dalit as a shield to launch assaults on dalit community. This has also shown the wound of caste is inflicted deep into the minds of this country and this won't be cured anytime soon.
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Worker’s body reaches Ranchi from Saudi 4 months after death; family rejects over compensation
Ranchi (PTI): The body of a migrant worker from Jharkhand’s Giridih district killed in Saudi Arabia in October last year has arrived at Ranchi Airport, but his family refused to accept it over pending compensation, officials said.
Shikha Lakra, team leader of the state migrant control cell, told PTI that, before taking the body of Vijay Kumar Mahato, the family is demanding compensation from the private company where he used to work in the Arab country.
Mahato was killed in an alleged crossfire between the police and criminals.
“Since it was a bullet injury case, the matter is before a court in Jeddah. The final compensation may depend on the court’s decision,” Lakra said.
“The Indian Embassy informed us about the body’s arrival, and coordination was done with district authorities. Our role is limited to coordination in cases involving overseas employers and foreign jurisdiction,” she added.
Giridih Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav said the authorities will try to convince the family to perform the last rites.
“We have already sanctioned Rs 5 lakh under the government scheme for migrant’s deaths abroad. The compensation payment might take some time,” he said.
The body is currently at the mortuary of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
The Family members said they will only accept it if the company provides written assurance regarding compensation. “Without that assurance, we will not receive the body,” said Ram Prasad Mahato, the deceased’s brother-in-law.
Mahato, a native of Dudhpaniya village in Madh Gopali panchayat under Dumri block, was employed as a tower line fitter. His family said he was struck by a bullet during a gunfight between local police and an extortion gang and later succumbed to his injuries.
Social activist Sikander Ali said Mahato is survived by his wife, two young sons aged five and three, and elderly parents.
