Summary:
“We also want provision for stringent punishment for atrocities against Dalits, redistribution of land to make Dalits landowners, to continue with the reservation policy, to guarantee education and employment for all,” he added. Going by it we have decided to take out marches till August 12, to ask the government not ever try to dilute the bill and adopt anti-Dalit policies. BATHINDA: Terming the bill cleared by Parliament, which overturned the Supreme Court order concerning some safeguards against arrest under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as a victory of the countrywide struggle of the Dalits, the ‘Committee Against Oppression of Dalits’ held marches across Malwa region on Thursday.The committee sought withdrawal of cases registered against Dalits protesters on April 2, during ‘Bharat Bandh’ while opposing the Supreme Court order. We want the cases registered against Dalits during the ‘Bharat Bandh’ on April 2 should be withdrawn.”Sewewala said incidents of oppression and caste discrimination against Dalits had no doubt been occurring during the tenures of various governments but the cruelties perpetrated over them after BJP government came to power had increased manifold which needed to be curtailed.He said the intellectual activists of the democratic movement arrested under the pretext of Bhima Koregaon incident should also be released. Marches would continue till Sunday at various places across Punjab, it said.The state convener of the committee Lachhman Singh Sewewala and secretary Zora Singh Nasrali said, “Even though the BJP government had to bow before the anger of the dalits and was compelled to clear the amendment bill, which rules out any anticipatory bail for a person accused of committing atrocities against SC/STs, we could not fully trust this government as its anti-Dalits intentions have not undergone any change..