Summary:
Aurangabad: Activists of the Phule Shahu Ambedkar Vichar Praodhan Parishad urged the chief minister not to propose any change in the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the wake of demands by Marathas during their rally in Mumbai last week.In a statement on Monday, activists Rameshbhai Khandagale and Bhimrao Sonwane said that while talking to a delegation of Marathas, Fadnavis had said that offences under the atrocities act would not be registered directly. This will be registered only after a designated committee scrutinies and pass it, he had said.The chief minister may have given this statement to appease the Marathas, but we fear that this may lead to increase in cases of atrocities against dalits and the oppressed class, they said.Sonwane said that the atrocities act is a central act and there was no such provision which provides for a formation of a committee to decide whether the offence should be registered under the act following a complaint.The activists have also said that they do not object to the government's decision to extend reservation facilities to the Marathas..