Untouchability practice in the name of caste and the problems are faced by the Dalits in accessing water which is seriously taking place in the village of Pachegaon in Solapur District. In this village the SC/ST/NT community people are not allowed to take the water from the public well on their own instead someone from Maratha community take the water from the well and they pour into the pots of Dalits. If no one is there from Maratha community, Dalit people are supposed to wait till they come.

In this circumstance on 28/12/07 Surendra Kamble belonging to Dalit community (Caste- Bile) went to fetch the water from the public well. When he found nobody from the Mahar community he took the water on his own from the well. In the mean time people from the Maratha community who were passing by found the victim taking water from the well and came to the spot and started abusing him in the name of caste and attacked him very severely. In this attack victim got serious injuries. 

On 3.1.08 the case was registered in Sangola Police Station. The FIR No. is 2/08 u/s 3(1)(v), 3(1)(x),3(1)(xi),3(1)(iv) & PCR 7(1)(d), IPC 307, 328, 324, 354, 323, 147, 148, 149, 504, 506. Fourteen Perpetrators arrested and bailed out. Even after this complaint still in that village the Dalit community people are denied to access the water from the public well on their own. 

Suman Kailath (Balmiki) d/o Kailash Balmiki is resident of Village- Bhodki, Police station -Gudagodh, District -Junjunu, where the victim’s family is earning their livelihood through sweeping work. On 14.12.07 for the occasion of one of the rituals of Bhubesh -the brother of victim, the Head of the family Kailash Balmiki and Mukesh (Brother of victim), had gone to his in-laws at village-Titanwad (Junjunu), hence during the night Suman and Indira being alone were sleeping with their children. Prior to this the accused Ravi Sekhawat belonging to dominant caste had asked Mukesh- victim’s brother about the time of their return back to home. Mukesh told them that they will come back on 29.12.07.

On 27.12.07 Suman was kidnapped and raped by the perpetrator- Ravi shekhawat. When the elder sister of Suman did not find Suman at home in the morning she asked her cousins to find out Suman. At about 9.30 a.m, next day some children while flying kites, reached the “Tibara” belonging to dominant caste - Meena and saw a woman sleeping. They shouted to wake her up but the woman did not react. Subsequently Suman’s cousin seeing her cried “This is my mausi Suman”. The whole family rushed to the site where the body was brutally tortured and clothes were torned. Even the lower portion of the body had the sign of tooth bitten and nail scratches which revealed that she was gang raped and later she was murdered with a view to hide the facts.

Later the sarpanch Mr. Prahlad  came to the site and took the dead body to the Gudagodji Govt Hospital for medical checkup and announced  that the victim – Suman has committed suicide by consuming poison and forced the family members to criminate her at the earliest with a view to avoid legal complications against them. The Victims family under the fear of legal complications created by the sarpanch criminated the dead body.

Later one of the cousins of the victim Mr. Nathu Ram lodged the  FIR in Police Station - Gudhagodji on  01.02.08 under section  302 , 376,120B and section 3(1)(i), 3(1)(iii), 3(1)(x), 3(1)(xi) & 3(1)(xii) of SC/ST (PoA) Act 1989. Case was initially investigated by DSP Mr. Bihari lal Navalgarh, since he was transferred the case is now investigated by DSP, Pratap Singh Sewda Jhunjhunu. Charge sheet is not yet submitted in the court. FSL report is pending. Accused was arrested and languishing in jail.

Section 302, 376,120B and section 3(1)(iii)(x)(xi)(xii) of SC/ST (PoA) Act 1989. Case initially investigated by DSP Mr. Bihari lal Navalgarh, since he was transferred now investigated by DSP Pratap Singh Sewda Jhunjhunu. Compensation of Rs. 75,000/- paid to the victim under SC/ST (PoA) RULES 1995. Charge sheet yet not submitted in the Court. FSL report is pending. Accused arrested and in jail.

Case in Brief

Ananda Kumari aged 16 years, SC by caste, r/o Peravaram village, Aatreyapuram mandal, East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.  She is an agricultural worker.  She was gang raped after being sedated.  She died on the same day, i.e., 27th December 2007.  

Mariyamma, SC by caste resides in the same village.  Mariyamma is living with Matta Srinu, Gowda by caste.  Matta Govindu, S/o Matta Satyam, Gowda by caste is relative of Srinu.  Srinu’s agricultural field lies beside the field of Attili Veeraiah.  Prasad, SC by caste works as a bonded labour with Veeraiah.  

Mariyamma has taken Ananda Kumari to work in Matta Srinu’s field on 26th and they returned home.  On 27th, Govindu and Srinu engaged Mariyamma and Prasad to get Ananda Kumari to work in their field.  Accordingly, on 27th at 10:00 am, Mariyamma brought Ananda Kumari to Matta Srinu’s field.  

Guddiga Subbarao (20), an auto driver was informed over phone by Govindu that Ananda kumari was lying unconscious at the field.  After receiving the information, Subbarao went to the field of Attili Veeraiah around 12:30 pm in the afternoon on 27th December 2007 and moved Ananda Kumari in his auto to her house in an unconscious state. While her parents were moving Ananda Kumari to the hospital at Kothapeta, an ambulance sent by Govindu has come and they shifted over Ananda Kumari into the ambulance and went to Kothapeta Government Hospital. The hospital authorities declared that she was brought dead.  Postmortem was done in the same hospital.     

The village elders having come to know about the incident went to the field of Matta Srinu to know what has happened.  In the hut nearby they found a syringe, cotton, 10 condoms, chewing gums, cigarettes, five-star chocolate wrappers and coconuts.  The same was informed to the police.

A case has been registered u/s 174 of Cr.P.C.  Srinu, Mariyamma, Subbarao and Prasad were taken into custody by Aatreyapuram police.  .  

Documents collected:

• Fact finding Report
• FIR copy
• Panchayathi Report
• Representations sent to SC/St Commission, State and National Human Rights Commission, Chief Minister, Home Minister, PCR Cell, Women Cell, State Women’s Commission, National Commission for Sc, Collector and SP of East Godavari Dist.
• Death Certificate
• Post Mortem Report
• Summons copy

DSS Intervention:

• DSS team camped at the place of incident and ensured the registration of case.
• A dharna was organized on 29th demanding justice as the police have not responded on time.
• Ensured that the sections 302 of IPC and 3(2)(v) of SC/ST (PoA) Act were included in the FIR as the police tried to register the case u/s 306 (abetment to suicide).
• DSS personally lobbied with the Chairperson of SC/ST Commission and consequently the accused Govindu was arrested.                 

Chikhli is a village situated in Savarkundla taluka of Amreli district. There are Bharvad, Harijans, Dalits, Ahir etc. communities are living in the village. Bharvad community is powerful and dominant in the village. They are nuisance for the other villagers.

On 20/12/2007 victim Sonalben Madhubhai Dolar was going to field. At that time the main accused Kanubhai Valabhai Bharvad kidnapped her forcefully to farm of one Keshubhai where he had a small room and thereafter, he called his friends namely Tinu Alias Arvind Shana and Ravi Soma and they raped her.

When she was left alone after raping her, somehow, she reached home and narrated everything what had happened. Thereafter, with the help of her husband she filed complaint against all the accused persons and police registered FIR under section 376, 363, 366, 354, 342, 506(2) and 114 of IPC