According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the rate of crimes against Dalits, who number more than 200 million, has risen in recent years.
NEW DELHI: Nine people were killed on Monday in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan as dalit outfits turned violent in several parts of the country due to outrage over a Supreme Court ruling on atrocities against dalits.
Train services have been affected and some main roads have been blocked in a number of states.Dalit organisations also staged demonstrations in the capital, Delhi, but police said there were no report of any violence. However, roads were blocked in the city centre, causing lengthy traffic jams.
Protests have also been organised in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand. Meanwhile, the apex court on Monday refused calls for an urgent hearing on a plea for stay and review of its verdict.Most opposition parties, including the Congress, have sided with the Dalits.
The BJP govt. at the Centre was seen as dilly-dallying in its response to the court’s order. Although nearly two weeks had passed but there was no reassurance that the govt. would appeal against the judgment.
Only today, as violent protests broke out, did the law minister announce that an appeal had been filed in the Supreme Court asking to modify the earlier judgment.Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to all political parties and groups to maintain peace and not to incite violence.
The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was brought into law to prevent crimes against people belonging to lower castes and tribes in India.
The act was passed as it was felt that the existing legal framework at the time did not provide adequate protection to lower castes.
The act allows for instant arrests, severely limits opportunities for bail and also automatically sees the registration of criminal cases against anyone accused of committing an offence against a member of a lower caste or tribe.
