An incident of house burning in a Dalit colony occurred in Nawada, Bihar. A total of 34 houses were burnt. Fifteen people have been arrested in the case. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condemned the incident and directed the ADG (Law and Order) to oversee the investigation.
On September 18, a house was burned in a Dalit colony in Manjitola district. Preliminary investigations suggested that the cause was a land dispute.
The police have arrested 15 suspects including the main accused Nandu Paswan in the case. Three domestically made pistols, six motorcycles and several live bullets were also recovered from the accused.
Nawada DM Ashutosh Kumar Verma told news agencies that a total of 28 accused have been named, of whom 15 have been arrested.
What is known so far?
DM Verma said that a total of 34 houses were damaged in the incident. 21 houses were completely burnt down while 13 houses received minor damage.
He said investigations revealed that the motive behind the incident was a 29-year-old land dispute. He said the accused also fired bullets into the air before setting the house on fire.
According to DM Verma, a case has been registered against the accused under the Arms Act and the SC-ST Act.
Nawada SP Abhinav Dhiman said that information about the fire at Manjhi Tola was received at 7.15 pm on September 18. Subsequently, the fire brigade rushed to the spot and put out the fire.
This is not the first time, nor will it be the last!
The cause of the fire in the Dalit colony in Nawada is said to be a land dispute. But atrocities against Dalits are a daily occurrence in the country. Sometimes Dalits are beaten publicly, sometimes Dalits are not allowed to enter temples, and sometimes Dalit horsemen are even thrown off their horses.
Even after so many years of independence, such incidents are common among Dalits. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), more than 150 cases of atrocities against Dalits are registered every day.
The NCRB report shows that the cases of Dalit atrocities increased by 35% between 2018 and 2022. According to statistics, the cases have continued to increase every year since 2018.
In 2018, 42,793 cases of crime against Dalits were registered. In 2022, 57,582 cases were registered. Meanwhile, in 2021, 50,900 cases were reported.
Where were the most atrocities committed?
According to the NCRB, most of the atrocities against Dalits took place in Uttar Pradesh. In 2022, Uttar Pradesh registered more than 15,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits. Rajasthan came second with more than 85,000 cases reported.
Statistics also show that on average 12 Dalit women are raped every day. In 2022, a total of 4,241 cases of rape of Dalit women were reported. Not only that, there have been more than 1,400 cases of rape of Dalit children.
It is reported that two to three Dalits are murdered every day. Besides this, insults and social boycotts against Dalits are also a daily occurrence.
As for the punishment of those accused of violence against Dalits, the conviction rate is 34%. The conviction rate has been declining over the past two years. In 2018, the conviction rate was over 42%, which fell to 36% in 2021. The conviction rate in 2022 is 34%.
Most cases of atrocities against Dalits are reported from Uttar Pradesh, which also has the highest conviction rate. The conviction rate in cases of crimes against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh is over 80%. In Rajasthan, the rate is less than 40%.
What is the law regarding Dalits?
A law was enacted in 1989 to protect Dalits and tribals. It is called the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It is also commonly called the SC-ST Act.
The law applies to all people who are not Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes and it harasses people belonging to these communities.
The purpose of this law is to punish crimes committed against Dalits and tribals. This law provides protection and rights to the people of Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribes. Special courts are also set up under this law to give quick decisions in such cases.
In March 2018, the Supreme Court had prohibited immediate arrests in cases registered under the SC-ST Act. While delivering its verdict, the court said that government employees can be arrested only with permission from the competent authority.
This decision of the Supreme Court was strongly opposed by the Supreme Court. Later, the Central Government amended the law. The Supreme Court also approved this amended law.
Follow us On Social Media Google News and Twitter/X