Caste-based violence has become an everyday reality for Dalits under BJP govt: Congress SC chief

Mumbai: The Congress SC Chief Dr Nitin Raut on Tuesday said that under BJP's watch, there has been a sharp increase in atrocities and violence against Dalits and other marginalized communities in the country.

"Caste-based violence has become an everyday reality for Dalits, especially women and children under the BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said All India Congress Committee SC Department Chairman Dr Nitin Raut, who is also Maharashtra's Energy Minister.

Referring to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures, Nitin said that crimes against Dalits have increased by 281.75 percent between 2009-2018.

"The NCRB data shows atrocities against Dalits in 2019 to be 45,935, with Uttar Pradesh alone accounting for 25.8 percent or 11,829 cases of the total caste atrocities against the Dalits in the country," Raut said.

He rued that the NCRB data comprises only the reported cases as more than double of caste-based atrocities go unreported every year owing to the unwillingness of the police to lodge FIRs in such matters, threats to the victims and lack of government support.

Citing an example of how Dalits are deprived of justice, the minister referred to the Tsunduru, Andhra Pradesh, massacre of 8 Dalit youths and that nobody has been convicted even 30 years after the incident.

Pointing to the recent Hathras, Delhi cases where young Dalit girls were raped, murdered and forcibly cremated, he said justice is being denied because 'all democratic institutions have been compromised'.

"The Prime Minister says that fast track courts would be set up so that justice is not delayed in such cases. But this has not been the case. There has been no statement made in Parliament," Raut pointed out.

"Nevertheless, the Prime Minister gives a certificate to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for running a model government. In Delhi, the CCTV footage of the crematorium was destroyed, instead of arresting the accused the police harassed the victim's family," he added.

Holding Home Minister Amit Shah 'directly responsible' for this situation as law and order in Delhi comes under him, he said the explicit aim of a 'Hindu Rashtra' of the RSS-BJP and other outfits is essentially to maintain the hierarchical social order. Even the government of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has turned a blind eye to this social menace.

Raut charged the Centre with perpetrating violence on Scheduled Castes by slashing allocations for their welfare in annual budgets, stopping or deliberately delaying scholarships that lead to higher dropouts or suicides among students, with Rohit Vemula an example.

From July 2021, the Centre has also discontinued the National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education -- started by the UPA Government -- to promote enrolment and reduce dropouts from SC girls in secondary schools, he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to hold a 'Halla Bol' agitation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on August 12 to protest against the daily atrocities and demand answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.