Relief for affected Dalit families sought

MADURAI: The State government must pay adequate compensation to each Dalit family affected by caste violence in the southern districts, said Thol.Thirumavalavan, president of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).

Addressing a protest meeting here on Wednesday to condemn the inaction of the State police against those involved in atrocities against Dalits, he said that while the governments in neighbouring States offered adequate relief to the victims, Tamil Nadu government was reluctant to rehabilitate them.

“In the past year there had been several cases in which Dalits were attacked by Caste Hindus, and their properties ransacked. Yet, the government had failed to protect them and also act against the perpetrators,” he charged.

Criticising the police for favouring Caste Hindus and rendering injustice to the Scheduled Caste people, he said that in many cases the police refused to accept complaints from the Dalits who were subjected to oppression.

Further, reacting to an allegation of misuse of the PCR and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, by Dalits, the VCK leader said that it was ridiculous to accuse Dalits of misusing it because any law could be enforced only by the government and not by the people. Hence it did not make any sense to blame Dalits, he added.

On the Uttar Pradesh gang rape incident, Mr. Thirumavalavan reprimanded the State government for failing to curb the rising number of rape cases. Further, he condemned the remark made by the Ministers in Uttar Pradesh over the rape incident and also asked the Centre to take steps to dissolve the Akhilesh Yadav government.

Earlier in the day, addressing reporters at a press conference, Mr. Thirumavalavan asked the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime to strictly enforce Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the State. The Dalit party leader also appealed to the State government to set up a monitoring committee to ensure that educational institutions implemented the 1992 government order which mandated the institutions to provide education to SC/ST students.

Denouncing the Centre’s silence over the Sri Lankan riots, Mr. Thirumavalavan said that the BJP-led government must adopt a stand against the Sri Lankan government for failing to protect the minorities. Over 300 people took part in the demonstration and raised slogans.

Source: The Hindu