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Sunday, August 4, 2013

[pmarc] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 04.08.13



 

Dalits Media Watch

News Updates 04.08.13

 

Family, relatives cry foul over Thoothukudi Dalit girl's death- The New Indian Express

http://newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Family-relatives-cry-foul-over-Thoothukudi-Dalit-girls-death/2013/08/04/article1717190.ece

VCK for survey of lands allotted to Dalits - The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/vck-for-survey-of-lands-allotted-to-dalits/article4988447.ece

Ilavarasan threatened to commit suicide, confirms Divya- The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ilavarasan-threatened-to-commit-suicide-confirms-divya/article4987713.ece

Identity politics hijack inter-caste marriages, says Subashini Ali- The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/identity-politics-hijack-intercaste-marriages-says-subashini-ali/article4987714.ece

 

NOTE : Please find attachment for HINDI NEWS UPDATES (PDF)

 

The New Indian Express

Family, relatives cry foul over Thoothukudi Dalit girl's death

http://newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Family-relatives-cry-foul-over-Thoothukudi-Dalit-girls-death/2013/08/04/article1717190.ece

 

The trouble over conducting a post-mortem of the body of a dalit girl, who was found dead at a cell phone company showroom on Thursday, finally came to an end on Saturday as relatives accepted the procedure.

 

The body was later handed over to family members after the post-mortem.

 

Relatives earlier refused to agree to the post mortem procedure alleging foul play in the death of the girl and demanded the police to interrogate the owner of the showroom in the case. According to police, Selvakani, a Dalit girl working at Aircel showroom, had hung herself on Thursday afternoon and her body was taken to Thoothukudi GH for post mortem.

 

But, the girl's relatives were informed about Selvakani's death only after the body was taken to the GH.

 

Alleging foul play in the death of Selvakani, family members and relatives refused to agree to the post mortem procedure on Thursday and demanded the police to file an FIR and interrogate the owner of the showrooom.

 

Despite the protests police did not file an FIR. Relatives alleged that the owner of the shop was a relative of a political bigwig and that was why police were refusing to take action on him. But Thoothukudi DSP, Francis Pesky, claimed that the girl was in love with one Vijayakumar, who was also an employee of the showroom.

 

But he ditched Selvakani and married another girl. Even after the youth's marriage, Selvakani was in touch with him, said Pesky.

 

The DSP said that Vijayakumar was dismissed by the owner two weeks back over some reason. After this, Vijayakumar did not come to the showroom.

 

Upset over not being able to meet the youth, Selvakani committed suicide, Pesky claimed and said that unless the post mortem was done, it could not be confirmed whether the girl was murdered or she committed suicide.

 

After hectic talks on Saturday, family members finally agreed for the post mortem.

 

Dismissing the allegations of relatives that FIR was not filed, sources said that it was registered on day one itself under section 174 of IPC.

 

The Hindu

VCK for survey of lands allotted to Dalits

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/vck-for-survey-of-lands-allotted-to-dalits/article4988447.ece

 

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi has demanded that the Revenue Department officials should survey the lands allotted to the Dalits by the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department at Chokkadevanpatti village near Valandur in Usilampatti taluk and hand them over to them immediately.

 

A resolution to this effect was passed at the VCK's Madurai District Executive Council meeting held at Ambedkar Nagar in Perungudi on Saturday. The meeting, presided over by R.Ayyankaalai, district rural secretary (west), stated that it had been 20 years since the lands were allotted to the Dalits but the Revenue Department had not surveyed them for allotment to the beneficiaries.

 

The council decided to organise a protest on August 12, if the authorities did not conduct the survey. It also passed resolutions demanding the State Government-appointed Justice Singaravelu Commission to probe the death of Dalit boy from Dharmapuri Ilavarasan and to submit a detailed report into the incidents leading to his death.

 

The VCK demanded that the State Government should monitor the activities of various caste groups which were allegedly disturbing communal harmony by making hate speeches. The government should lift the prohibitory orders clamped in Villupuram district, where party leader Thol.Thirumavalavan could not travel through to perform his duties as a Member of Parliament, the party said.

 

In connection with the VCK leader's birthday on August 17, blood donation camps would be organised and welfare assistance distributed to the old people in a few places in Madurai district.

 

V.P.Inquilab, state vice-president, Progressive Students Federation, was present at the meeting.

 

The Hindu

Ilavarasan threatened to commit suicide, confirms Divya

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ilavarasan-threatened-to-commit-suicide-confirms-divya/article4987713.ece

 

Days before his death, E. Ilavarasan, the Dalit youth whose body was found along the railway track in Dharmapuri on July 4, had called his wife Divya and threatened that he would commit suicide.

 

Divya has confirmed this in a statement given to the Dharmapuri police on Friday, sources in the intelligence agencies said.

 

Divya made some startling revelations before the police that clarify certain crucial aspects in the case.

 

According to her, Ilavarasan called her over phone a few days before his death and said that he would commit suicide if she failed to return to him.

 

She was aware that her husband had attempted to commit suicide at a lodge in Chennai.

 

Claiming that she went back to her mother on her own will and nobody forced her to do so, Divya identified the handwriting on the suicide note to be that of her husband.

 

The note was allegedly taken away from Ilavarasan's body by a relative and later handed over to police.

 

Document experts in the Tamil Nadu Forensic Science Laboratory had also validated that the handwriting was that of Ilavarasan.

 

When police played an audio tape, Divya confirmed that the conversation was between her and Ilavarasan. The conversation recorded by the youth on his mobile phone was retrieved by forensic experts after his death.

 

"The statement of Divya is very crucial in this case. She has identified her husband's handwriting on the suicide note and confirmed the genuineness of the audio conversation. Her mother Thenmozhi has also given a statement that Ilavarasan told her about his intention to commit suicide," a senior police official told The Hindu on Saturday.

 

The Vanniyar girl, whose marriage with Ilavarasan on October 14, 2012 and her father's suicide following it had triggered caste clashes and unrest in parts of Tamil Nadu for several months. Acting on a Habeas Corpus petition filed by her mother Thenmozhi, the Madras High Court took cognisance of the matter.

 

During the course of the hearing, Divya expressed her desire to live with her mother and told media persons that she would never return to her husband.

 

The Hindu

Identity politics hijack inter-caste marriages, says Subashini Ali

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/identity-politics-hijack-intercaste-marriages-says-subashini-ali/article4987714.ece

 

The change in the Indian political system, marked by caste mobilisation and narrow identity politics, is the reason behind attack on inter-caste marriage couple including Divya-Ilavarasan of Dharmapuri, said Subashini Ali, vice-president, All India Democratic Women's Association (Aidwa).

 

"In the last 20 years, there is a change in Indian politics. Earlier, even political parties helping the rich had some ideology and beliefs. Today, everything has changed. All political parties, other than the Left, are indulging in caste mobilisation and identity politics for votes and remaining in power," said Ms. Ali who was here to deliver first Captain Lakshmi memorial lecture organised by the Aidwa.

 

In the cases of love affairs in the past, only family members concerned used to intervene and now, the intervention of outside groups in such affairs was becoming a trend, as could be seen in the case of Dharmapuri.

 

Referring to how Dalit colonies were attacked last year as a sequel to the marriage of Ilavarasan and Divya, she wondered how this could happen in Tamil Nadu which had a 70-year history of anti-casteism, anti-Brahmin movement and encouraged self-respect marriage.

 

She said whether it was in Tamil Nadu or in Andhra Pradesh or some other State, it was always members of the dominant caste, who were numerically large in numbers, attack people of the oppressed section.

 

She said if the government and the police failed to take action against members of the dominant caste even though they knew well that they were doing something illegal, it was because of vote bank politics.

 

Aidwa secretary U. Vasuki and actress Suhashini Manirtanam were among those who participated.

 

 

News Monitor by Girish Pant



--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
...................................................................
Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and  intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.

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