The dictionary defines “atrocity” as “the quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane”. If that is an acceptable definition, what constitutes an “atrocity” against the scheduled castes and tribes?
Is a Lok Ayukta raid against a corrupt SC/ST official an “atrocity” against dalits? Is sacking or suspending an incompetent SC/ST employee an “atrocity” against dalits? Is questioning, criticising , shouting slogans against, or burning an effigy of an SC/ST public figure an “atrocity” against dalits?
Can the media dispassionately write about or comment on individuals and institutions of the scheduled castes and tribes, as they should any other community, without attracting the charge of “harassment”?
In other words, are dalits above the laws of the land? Or are the scheduled castes and tribes taking advantage of the special status that the Constitution of India confers on them?
The answers are blindingly obvious to most, but to the Congress government of Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, they are not so. Last night, AP police swooped down on the offices of the Telugu daily, Andhra Jyothy, and arrested its editor (K. Srinivas) and two journalists (N. Vamsi Krishna and N. Srinivas) under section 3 (1) (x) of the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act.
Section 3 (1) (x) reads:
“Whoever, not being a member of a scheduled caste or a scheduled tribe… intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a scheduled caste or tribe in any place within public view.”
Their crime?
The Maadiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) president Manda Krishna Madiga had lodged a complaint with the police on 28 May 2008 that the staff of the newspaper had abused him by his caste when they had taken out a protest march the previous day. According to one report, Krishna Madiga “showed the photos where the editor and others were present when the agitators were beating his effigy with chappals”.
The reason Andhra Jyothy staff had taken out the protest march?
Activists of the MRPS had attacked the offices of Andhra Jyothy in Hyderabad, Warangal and Vishakapatnam on 27 May 2008 and vandalised them in protest against an article it had published on 26 May 2008. Two cars were also damaged.
Without naming any Dalit leader in particular, the article in question referred to “hired leaders” and “saleable commodities” who were only pandering to their interests rather than working for the interests of their community.
MRPS leaders claimed Andhra Jyothy had published the news item “with the specific intent of tarnishing the image of leaders who were crusading for the uplift of the weaker sections for decades”.
Almost a month later, on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the Emergency, the police came knocking and took away the editor and the two contributors. The charge against the reporters was that they had burnt the effigy of Krishna Madiga and slapped it with chappals during the rally on 27 May 2008.
A police officer is quoted as saying, prima facie, there is “clinching evidence” against all three.
The arrest of the Andhra Jyothy staff comes in the middle of a surcharged media atmosphere in the Congress-ruled State, and the journalists’ bodies are smelling more than a rat.
Ramoji Rao, the proprietor of the State’s largest daily Eenadu, has been the subject of a sustained legal and financial scrutiny. The chief minister’s son, Jaganmohan Reddy, has just launched a multi-edition, all-colour newspaper called Saakshi to take on Eenadu and Andhra Jyothi. And the film star Chiranjeevi, whom Andhra Jyothy is seemingly backing, is slated to announce the launch of a political party soon.
Photograph: Andhra Jyothy editor K. Srinivas being taken away in a police jeep upon his arrest (courtesy Andhra Jyothy )
Also read: ‘A disgraceful assault on media freedom‘
Cross-posted on sans serif
Churumuri
You deserve credit for consitently highlighting the all cases of assault on media freedom.This is quite refreshing given that large section of MSM view even right abuses through the spectrum of their ideological predilections
Way to go Churumuri
We must oppose such things.
Time for the Supreme Court to put an end to the madness being unleashed under this Act. If the journos get some good advice, they will go straight to the Supreme Court and ask for quashing of the complaint.
It is being used for everything but the purpose for which it was enacted (to prevent caste atrocities in villages), and contributing to caste animosity in the cities.
Even police have to act decent when they arrest an SC criminal. the tables turn too quick
In one of the well known schools in Mysore, a peon got caught red-handed when he was helping some students to copy in SSLC exams by the principal. Peon fell at the feet of the principal begging him for mercy. Principal said, the management and teachers meeting will decide the matter.
It was decided in the meeting that they will not press charges against the guy as he would lose his livelihood, he cannot survive the trial and the punishment etc.
(Also, since it would cause lots of headache for the school).
Before the decision was communicated to the peon, he was advised by his “neighbour” to complain against the principal for insulting him as a low born in the police station.
Result: A year later, the principal got retired with his pension being suspended till the case is decided and he has personal problems aplenty,
While the peon was elected as an office bearer of a political party of which his “neighbour” is a member.
“neighbour” is very famous now-a-days.
“who were only pandering to their interests rather than working for the interests of their community.”
I think this is the general case of any minority anywhere in the world, be it caste, tribe, race, religion or ethnicity. The minority should be more vary of their own community than the majority groups.
The constitution of India does not provide equality for all its citizens as it grants some special status and priveleges for SC/STs in terms of educational and job reservations, reserved constituencies and so on. These special priveleges are those legal gaps which are misused time and again. So no surprises if we find these SC/ST officials getting away with corruption. It is the problem with the law and the system.
The reserved constituencies for SC/STs is the biggest joke of Indian democracy. It is an open secret that during the Karnataka election many SC candidates from reserved constituencies spent more than crore of rupees towards fighting the elections. So much for being exploited and oppressed.
Yes D P Satish we must oppose…and the media need not have waited till one of its own comrades faced the music under this unjust and strange law. Everyday, in every office this pieace of socialist legislation is being misused. To this date i have never seen an analysis based on the conviction rates in such cases. No one has ever written any story on the civil rights enforcement cell of the state police whose sole task is to give effect to this law..i am not saying that in our discrimination-ridden country, we not have laws to protect the weaker sections but proper amendments to this piece of legislation has been long over due
Glad someone has belled the cat. Even gladder that it is churumuri!
The real issue here is not freedom of the press (which has been debated enough), but abuse of the SC/ST Act (which has not).
Caste-based discrimination is a nuanced, attitudinal problem. But abuse of the SC/ST Act is just as bad — it ultimately goes against the interests of SC/STs by festering bitterness, injustice and a general disdain.
Government leaders, as well as Hindu society, have shown great courage to take on discrimination with positive results in many facets of our social life. Now we need to take on the legal abusers.
This is not at all good. I understnd why we have reservations to provide SC/STs education and jobs to make them equal in the society.
This is too much. A corrupt officer from the SC/ST community should not be convicted!! Everybody should be equally treated in the eyes of law.
Reservations should go to the needy among SC/STs.
Many of the SC/STs in Andhra are practioners of Christianity, but to avail reservations they identify themselves as Hindu SC/STs.
No reservation should be given to SC/STs above gazzetted officer status or if their income levels are par with ‘general middle class’ people.
This is a very strange law. We should oppose this. This is just like TADA.
Anyone found guilty should be punished irresepective of his/her caste. religion etc.
We should scrap this law. If TADA is a draconian law, so is SC/ST atrocities prevention Act.
Exposing a corrupt officer is atrocity?
Atrocity in dictionary is defined as
Atrocity; a terrible, cruel and violent act, especially in a war.
A war against corruption and arresting corrupt officer is atrocity??
No law applicable for SC/STs.!
this is in fact more to do with YSR’s vendetta against Andhra Jyoti. This daily along with Eenadu has ripped apart the corrupt YSR government. With YSr’s son starting his own daily – Sakshi, which is obviously a congress mouthpiece, the media war assumed a dirty turn with Sakshi taking the names of the other two dailies openly and abusing them.
YSR is gonna lose very badly. And so will ‘Sakshi’.
It is a perversion of the Act. Clearly both the Congress and YSR stand discredited. This is not the first time the Act has been misused.
Whatever may be the the politics, Andhra Govt acted cowardly. Freedom of press should not be curtailed. Tomorrow, Govt will dictate what to write in news. This is subtle muder of democracy.
Release all the journos immediately.
Jai Hind
Clearly this has political overtones – rival politicians play with various nuances of law. Even the police officer is in it. This has got nothing to do in with SC/ST community in a non political scenario.
There is anti-dowry law, which can be and which is misused against husbands. You want that also scraped too?
These laws save more than few imbeciles who misuse it. The law enforcing authorities must take action against mis-users.
I am from a village where level of education is good. In reality there is no untouchability like thing in practice. however, whenever there is a local election like Panchayat, Society etc. this Act is being misused to a large scale to just to scale down the competetion from sober candidates. In our village no person little bit of self respect takes a chance to contest in local body election. It has become a domain of cheap players.
Its wrong to give land to a religious shrine development. If it was a minority religion, it is a different story, it would help them find their strong feet in this secular nation. Never it should be given to Hindus, as they already have countless Gods, countless Godmen and countless shrines.
@pragmatic
For a change, your prediction on YSR and Saakshi are right
@Simply Stupid
Name says it all.
Congress has announced legal terrorism in Andhra Pradesh. Similar to what INDIRA GANDHI did during the emergency.
YSR is a stooge of the Gandhi party and he is looting the state exchequer. Now the alternate party needs to get rid of Congress from entire south India, which is the last bastion of Congress.
After this Congress will RIP !!!!
This is also a fight within secular brigade.. Andhrajyothy, a pro-left paper led by atheists fighting evangelical christian family of YSR (Church of South India) :-)
@Tarlemaga navare
For that matter all congress leaders are Soniammana dasaru, chamchagalu. Sonia is more accessible to Christians than others. So our Margaret Alva also has great access to Madammu. If misionaries more active in India it is not beacuse people developed a liking or an interest in the Christian belief, it is because state apparatuses in Congress ruled states are at missionary’s disposal. Of course, some missionaries have been doing exemplary services to India.
However, there are some groups that force people to convert to christianity.
Electronic and Print Media in India is devoid of “objective point of view”.
Government must setup a Media Rating Service similar to CRISIL in financial industry.
Media Rating Service should rate media in order to
1. Stop propagating “sarcasm and hypocrisy” in the society.
2. Promote “objective and positive point of views”.
Isn’t calling a person “brahmin” also a case of jaathi nindane?
You can abuse all other Hindus – from babies to those on their death beds. But that is not abuse. Take the case of TN where other than the sc/st/bc etc are called ‘oppressors’. That is not supposed to be an abuse. And what is the ‘oppression’? Acts by Brahmins such taking birth, drinking milk, eating food, going to school/colleges/jobs and merely being alive are all acts of ‘oppression’ as per the laws of social justice.
Can PRP reject a person from working for the party betterment with a motive to get the seat later when the fact is the party is just launched and the thought of allotting seats has not arise – Of course Not.
If more than 1 person is asking for the same Assembly/Lok Sabha seat then to how many people can PRP allot a seat based on their confidence and party allotment criteria? ONE
Will the remaining people who are not allotted a seat tell to the Media that PRP did not have the confidence in him/her so they were not given the seat? Of course Not
Is there cost involved in running daily road shows – YES
Is there cost involved in running Ads in the Media – YES
Is there cost Involved in Running the Party Offices – YES
Does this money have to come from Party Bank Balance – YES
Does Party Bank Balance improve with out raising Party Fund – NO
Is YSR justified in giving 80+ seats to Reddy’s alone and ignoring other OC castes completely? NO
Is CBN plain opportunistic in a ton of ways with no integrity? NO
Is YSR corrupt? YES
Is CBN corrupt? YES
Is Allu Aravind corrupt? For asking much needed party fund
Did CBN Flip Flop over Telangana Issue? YES
Did YSR Flip Flop over Telangana Issue? YES
Did Chiranjeevi Flip Flop over Telangana Issue? NO
Chiranjeevi earned money through his own hard work and talent – YES
Did YSR family earn so much in just 5 years through plain Hard Work? NO
Did CBN family earn so much in just 9 years through plain Hard Work? NO
Majority of the Media Tycoons have affiliation to a party? YES
Does PRP have a channel supporting them as in case of Congress and TDP – NO
Will Congress be headed by an outsider other than Indira, Rajeev, Sonia…? NO
Will TDP be headed by an Outsider other than NTR, CBN, NBK…? NO