Caste & Identity

Our lives are threatened because we are asking for food. It is our right, right?

 
/ January 30, 2017

“You’re asking for rights? Do you know what caste you belong to?,” the Sarpanch (Village Head) reminded Samaru Vanvashi, a Dalit resident of Bisapur village in Uttar Pradesh. Samaru had approached the Sarpanch because he had not been paid his NREGA salary since 2014 and had not received his rationed...

A Widow and her Children are Homeless

 
/ December 2, 2016

Heavy rains destroyed a widow’s house in Pipariyamal, Madhya Pradesh and the administration is proving to be of no help. She and her children have been homeless for four months.  Help her get a house by calling V A Karnd, the Sub Divisional Magistrate of the area on +91 9424312042 Community...

Loopholes in Police investigation in a Dalit Woman's Murder. Was it a foul play?

 
/ December 1, 2016

A Dalit woman Subita, from a poor household was found dead on the side of a well-traveled road in Maharashtra. While the police have lodged a mere accident report, the relatives including the deceased’s’ husband Satish and his parents are alleging foul play – saying that she was murdered in...

Eviction even in Death – The Reality of Bihar’s Dalits

 
/ November 30, 2016

The caste-based atrocities and injustice of Dalits of Bihar dipped a new low this year, as even the community’s dead are being evicted from their final resting places. This cold-hearted act has unearthed many graves, much to the misery and shock of the Dalits of the area. This incident was brought...

Caste Discrimination keeps Dalit Children from Schools

 
/ November 14, 2016

In Uttar Pradesh, a primary school accommodates students from nearby villages in Pratapghar district. Among them is Mansi, a student of class two. Mansi has a startling revelation: the principal forced her to dispose off the carcass of a puppy. When she refused to do so she was brutally caned....

Jharkhand’s Food Security Act leaves hungry Tribals to die

 
/ October 21, 2016

Rocha Korwa sits in his hut alone, struggling with a bunch of Tendu leaves, a forest produce, that he will sell in the market for Rs. 10-15 for a bunch. He dreads the walk to the market, his 65-years-old knees struggle to move, making each step painful for Rocha. However,...

Displacement in the name of Development on the Banks of Narmada

 
/ October 20, 2016

  The 110 families of Kumhars (brickmakers) living on the banks of Narmada in Madhya Pradesh are worried as life as they knew it for generations, will end soon. “My home and our brick kiln land will be submerged by the Sardar Sarovar dam,” says Om Prakash Prajapati, a Kumhar...

Waste-collectors of Madhya Pradesh demand a hike

 
/ October 13, 2016

Safai Karmacharis, the waste collectors of Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh went on a strike in front of Collectorate office for promotion and pay hike. The Safaikarmacharis of the district have been working for the municipality since more than 15 years but have received only a nominal salary of Rs. 3000-3,500 throughout...