Harijana. Maruthamma (18) D/o H.Sanjeevulu, caste Madiga (SC) caste, is the victim of Torture and Murder. She was working as a maid in O.B. Reddy’s house s/o Malle Reddy R/o same village for rupees 250/- per month with effect from 01 May 06. After three days work she came back to her father and complained that the owner was misbehaving and she would not continue the work. Because of the financial hardship, her father convinced her to work for some more time. On 04.05.06 about 7:00 am she went for work as usual to the owner’s house, and came to home for lunch and went back to the owner’s work at 3:00 pm, At 6:00 o’clock in the evening deceased father came to know that her daughter was dead so he rushed to owners place and saw her daughter’s dead body near the water pit where the water level was only one feet and her cloths and under garments were torn and grievous injurious all over the body.

A Case was registered Cr. No.77/06 u/s 174 Cr.P.C In Anathapur II town Police Station. Petition file under section 216 Cr.P.C to add SC/ST. Representation sent to concerned Authorities. No correct sections in FIR. No SC/ST Act is been added. Charge sheet was filed. The special court gave the SC. No 348/06, on trial. Adjournment passed on 03.06.08. Next Adjournment is on 29.07.08.

Untouchability practices are still outrageous in the villages of Bihar. This is obvious when Gautam Ravidas (9) was dragged out of the school and beaten over human excreta. Dalits are still not allowed to sit in the front seat in the schools. They are denied of public accessories like access to drinking water, sitting in public places etc. They are still demanded their free labour and forced to beat the drums.

Gautam Ravidas (9) s/o Shashi Ravidas became the prey of the untouchability practices. On 4^th May, 2006, he dared to sit in the front row in his class room which made Sunil Yadav (a dominant caste student) intolerable. He threw his books and bag to the last row. Gautam Ravidas tried to stop him doing that. And in the process of stopping him, Sunil Yadav hurt himself with a slate by his own mistake. He then immediately complained that to his father Baleshwar Yadav.

On hearing the complaint Baleshwar Yadav rushed to the school and abused Gautam Ravidas “Saala chamar ke bache hamare bete par hath utthata hai.  Saala tumko aaj paikhana khilayenge” (You son of Chamar, how dare! you beat my son.I will make you eat human excreta). He then entered the class room, threw his books into a gutter, dragged him out to a filthy place full of human excreta close to the school and beat him badly for three hours. The boy was imbued with human excreta. Dalits of Haidra who witnessed the torture, were much frightened. However, one of them managed to inform all about the incident to the parents of the child.

Having informed, Shashi Ravidas (father) and Sita Devi (Mother) ran to rescue their son. When they reached the spot, Baleshwar Yadav abused “Saala padhakar Jagjeevan Ram banayega? Saala Bete ko Uggrawadi banayega!”(You would make your son Jagjeevan Ram! You would make your son a terrorist). Gautam and his parents were beaten in front of the students and Krishna Yadav (the teacher). The teacher didn’t take even a single step to stop the accused beating; rather he supported Baleshwar Yadav indirectly. However, the parents made a complaint to Shrawan Yadav (Village chief) and Rajesh Yadav (Sarpanch). Responding to the complaint, Rajesh Yadav adviced Shashi Ravidas, “Why do you send your child to the school? There will not be any fight if Dalits don’t go to school.”

No sooner, the Dalit students were denied of education by not allowing them to enter the school. Dalit students were sent out of the school. Now no Dalit children go to the school. Despite the oral complaint given to the Block Development Officer and Block level Education Executive Officer, survivors remain unheard. They are given no aids. The accused are not arrested. The case is not registered in the Chandradeep police station. The names of Dalit students are stricken off from the school register. They are not allowed to sit in the class. They are debarred from right to education.The case is registered in the police station.

Case in Brief:

In Vadlamuru village, Peddapuram mandal, East Godavari district, the population of OC community is 500, BC 560, SC 450.  As the population of the OC and BC community is more, they play a dominating role in the village.  OC community argued with the SCs in the previous Sarpanch elections saying why do SCs need power?  As there are no proper educational facilities in the village, only people who can afford are sending their children to nearby villages for education.  Children of economically backward communities are working as labors.  There are no proper medical facilities in the village.  The upper caste communities dominate the SCs in political and cultural matters.

Brief details of the case:

Ananta Lakshmi, aged 19 years, d/o Abbulu, r/o Vadlamuru village, Peddapuram mandal, East Godavari district has completed ANM Training and is working in Srinivas Nursing Home in Peddapuram.  She used to return by 06:00 pm everyday.  On the day of incident, i.e., on 20^th April 2006, as she had an emergency case, her younger brother has come by cycle and sent her in auto and said that he would follow on cycle.  On the way, the auto driver took her in other way and increased the volume of the songs.  He pulled her out of the auto and tried to rape her.  She tried to escape from him and he tortured her.  She somehow managed to escape from him and went to her house by another auto.  Back in her home she informed her parents about the incident.  They went to the accused house with their caste elders and asked for an explanation.  The family of the accused abused them in the name of the caste, quarreled with them and filed a case on them.  Then the victim’s family filed a case on the accused.  Though the police arrested the accused, he immediately took a bail and is moving freely in the village now.

Findings:

•      Attempt to rape is committed according to the statements I, II and III.
•      Attempt to rape is committed according to the doctor’s certificate.
•      According to statement II and IV, it is clear that there is domination of the so-called higher castes on dalits in the village.
•      It is clear that the government officials are in favor of the accused according to the statement of DSP and FIR.
•      The girl is not secure as the accused has come out immediately on bail.
•      His statement of the accused with the victim that he wanted to rape her with his friends is not entered in the FIR.  This shows that her right to expression under Article 19 of the constitution and hence right to life under Article 21 of the constitution are violated.
•      7.3 National Women’s Commission is violated according to the National Human Rights Declaration to eradicate the atrocities on women.
•      Article 7 of CEDAW is violated according to the statement IV

Recommendations:

1.    Case should be registered u/s 3(1) (XII) of SC/ST (PoA) Act.  
2.    Rs. 50,000/- should be paid as compensation by the government to the victim
3.    Accused is freely roaming in the village.  Hence, police protection should be provided to the victim Anantalakshmi.
4.    According to National Human Rights Agreement, special investigation should be done to eradicate atrocities on women and 7.3 should be recommended by the Women’s commission.
5.    According to the statement given by the Sarpanch, to curtail all kinds of atrocities on women, government should immediately follow Article 2 of CEDAW.

Fodiram s/o Buddha Ram ( 75 ), Shyamo w/o Fodiram (70), Ramesh Chand s/o, Fodiram (40), Raja Beti w/o,  Ramesh Chand (38), Jggannath s/o Fodiram (35) Leela w/o Jggannath 32, Pappu  S/o, Fodiram (30), Meena w/o Pappu (28), Raju s/o Fodiram (26) Sharda w/o Raju (25) Shishu Pal s/o, Fodiram (24) Urmila w/o Shishu Pal (22) all Koli (SC) by caste   hail from a hamlet Pipron, Tehsil Basedi,  in Dhaulpur  District belonging to Koli  sub caste (SC). The Dalits of Pipron Village constituting around 1300 families as against approximately 250 SC families are all landless. Some are daily wage labourers and some involve themselves in as daily wage labourers near by places. 

One of the accused Ram Avtar, Thakur by Caste, Residence of Village Pipron stole one Buffalo belonging to Gurjars community. He asked Raju s/o Fodiram to sell the Buffallo in Local Market. (Raju was not aware of that Ram Avtar has stolen the Buffalo). Accordingly, Raju and Ramavtar took the buffalo to a nearby market to sell the same .In the meantime it was revealed that the buffalo was the stolen one. Raju and Ram avtar decided to take the buffalo back to village. On their way back Ram Avtar sold the Buffalo for Rs. 14,000/- and took all the money.

In the meantime, Gurjar Community searched for their Buffalo. Fortunately, they came to know from some reliable source that their Buffalo has been stolen by Ram Avtar and been sold. On hearing the news, they called for a Panchayat meeting. Panchayat fined Rs. 7000/- on each of them. Ramavtar did not pay the fined amount. Somehow Raju,s family arranged the amount and paid the same. Ram Avtar kept pressurizing Fodiram to pay the rest of the amount too. On 15.02.06 Ramavtar came to Fodiram’s house and threatened them with a gun point that he would kill them if they would not pay his fined amount. On 05.04.06, Ram Avtar took revenged by cutting the nose of Fodiram with a sharp edged weapon while he was returning back to his home from Kela Devi.

The victim was admitted in Hospital in Delhi. No expenses have been met by the administration. The case is registered on 05.04.06, u/s 326, 323, 348, 34 IPC & 3(1)(x) , 3(2)(v) of SC/ST (PoA) Act. Till now no compensation has been paid. The case is still pending. There is no effort from the police officials to arrest the accused.

The Investigation officer has arrested one of the accused Hem Singh and the other accused Ramavatar is still absconding. There is no effort from the police officials to arrest the accused. The administration has given no compensation to the victim. No medical aid has been granted by the administration. The accused are threatening him continuously. The perpetrator has been scot-free. The victim is living in fear.