JAMMU: Peeved over the report of ‘Peoples Tribunal on Human Rights and Environment’ which concluded that Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s death “was caused by acts of omission and commission of the authorities”, Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, has expressed grave concern over the increased atrocities on the Scheduled Castes and other marginalised sections of society during the BJP led regime at the Centre.
He said the probe by the said independent organisation had clearly indicted the authorities concerned for failure to resolve the critical issue of “social boycott” highlighted by Rohith Vemula and Ambedkar Students Association and which has further accused the Vice Chancellor of advancing the political
agenda of HRD Minister Smriti Irani.
Supporting the cause of the weaker and down trodden sections of society as also the agitation launched by the Dalit students in various Universities across the country, Harsh endorsed their demand for a ‘Rohith Act’ to prevent any injustice to the students and youth of marginalized sections of society. He said that President of India who has been submitted a memorandum by the hundreds of
academicians and social groups must take cognizance of the alleged caste and academic bias being perpetrated on the Dalit Students in schools, colleges and the universities in the recent past.
He said that report of the aforesaid independent Tribunal confirmed that delay in payments of fellowships to students from these communities and lack of effective action to ensure timely payments allowed systematic bias to be perpetuated without any redress. He further sought appropriate action against HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
Harsh further said that there were numerous other occasions in the past few months wherein Dalits were assaulted, abused, maltreated, harassed and victimised. He pointed towards the highly barbaric incident of burning alive of two Dalit youth in Faridabad with a Union Minister making a nasty remark and comparing their murder with the stoning of a dog. He further made a mention of the brutal massacre of a Dalit youth in Gohana town in Haryana who was first accused of theft of a pigeon and then his dead body was recovered from an isolated place.
Calling upon the President of India to intervene, Harsh said that a government which cannot safeguard and protect its citizens especially the weaker and marginalised sections of society has no right to continue in office.