Dalit leaders to hold protest rally on May 15

AURANGABAD: The Dalit Atyachar Virodhi Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee comprising leaders of various political parties, on Friday said they would hold a rally on May 15 to protest against the recent incidents of crimes on dalits.

The rally will start from Kranti Chowk at noon and pass through important places before culminating in front of the office of Aurangabad divisional commissioner.

The committee will hand over a memorandum of demands to the divisional commissioner.

Recently, a 17-year-old dalit boy was allegedly murdered and hanged from a tree over his love affair with a minor girl from an upper caste at Kharda village in Jamkhed taluka of Ahmednagar. Moreover, several cases of crime against dalits in Jalna and Kannad have also been reported.

Besides organizing the rally, the committee is also planning to observe a ‘protest week’ if the government fails to accept its demands. Milind Dhabhade, member of the joint action committee, said they would resort to road blocking, ‘rail roko’ and ‘jail bharo’ agitation throughout the district. “More than 25,000 workers belonging to different political parties, who follow Dr Ambedkar’s philosophy, have joined hands for the agitation,” he said.

Dhabhade said the committee is demanding resignation of state home minister R R Patil. “He is responsible for such incidences. The police have been inactive under his leadership resulting in increase in crime against people belonging to backward sections. Patil has lost the moral right to occupy the seat and should immediately step down,” he said.

The committee also wants the state government to fix responsibilities of crimes against dalits. “Senior police officials and inspectors should he held responsible for such cases. Besides, the government should provide protection to dalit people, especially those living in sensitive areas,” he added.

Gautam Kharat, another member of the committee, said that Union agriculture minister NCP supremo Sharad Pawar should intervene and ask the home minister to step down. “It is strange to see that senior political leaders like Pawar are keeping themselves away at a time when crimes against dalits are on the rise in the state,” he said.

Source: The Times of India