NEW DELHI: The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch has demanded the immediate release of 1000 dalit protestors, booked for the Bharat Bandh violence.

Ashok Bharti, National Convenor, Republic Party of India, made the following demands to the government:

1. April 14 should be declared as a ‘protection of the Indian Constitution’ day. ‘We are demanding Constitutional protection to the POA act. There decision has affected the right to life of more than 30 crores of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe citizens. We want to ask the government this simple question, whether the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have the right to present their cases before the judiciary, before they are punished. We believe that the judicial system says, the process of natural justice says before deciding and affecting the right to life of 30 crore people, the court must have summoned the affected party, ’ said Ashok Bharti.

2. Government should immediately release the dalit protesters who have been booked after the massive protests held in different parts of the country against the Supreme Court order on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act.

“The judiciary is completely an exclusive body in this country. Since Independence, this country has relied on the judiciary to reform and make itself inclusive. But the history of the Indian Judiciary indicates there are hardly judges from the Scheduled Castes, tor the Scheduled Tribes, there are hardly women in the judiciary. Only few families are dominating the Indian Judiciary. We have waited for long, we are not willing to wait any longer, therefore what we want from the government is being made clear. Government must ensure the representation of the ST, SC, women and minority in the judiciary. Parliament must bring a law in the winter session, to ensure adequate representation of SCs and STs, women minorities and backward communities’, he added.

‘After the Bharat Bandh, we have decided and we have given time to the government of India , and the Parliament and the Prime Minister, we believe that looking at the massive unrest and oppression on the dalits and adivasis in this country, on their life and livelihood that prevents around them, we have requested the government to resolve all the pending issues revolving around the SCs and STs, before or by the 15th of August, 2018’, stated Bharti.

Talking about the deadline they set, Bharti adds, ‘We choose this date on purpose. Because we believe that PM makes important announcements on the date from the Red Fort, to the nation. If our issues like reservation in private sector, reservation in promotions, inclusion of Scs and Sts in judiciary, in the armies, greater representation in the police forces, in legal professions and withdrawal of the United Grants Commission (UGC) order that the government has recently brought and ensuring proportionate budgetary allocations as per the population of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe. iF they fail to resolve the issues, we will declare our program after the August 15, accordingly. But we hope and we sincerely believe that they would as they claim and state ‘sabka saath saabka vikas’, we believe they will prove they believe in inclusion of the minorities in the program.’

Talking about the recent SC ruling on the POA Act, Dalit Rights Forum Convenor, K. Ananda Rao said, ‘The Supreme Court has diluted our rights completely. How can two judges suddenly decide on the future of 30 crore citizens of India, without consultation and representation?’

When questioned about the government's role in appropriation of B.R Ambedkar’s vision in their statements V. Srinivasa Rao, CPI(M) Central Secretariat member stated, ‘The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no right to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti, in this country. Dalits and Adivasis in this country cannot be fooled by the government any longer. The BJP has gone against the ideas of Ambedkar. They are suddenly interested in Ambedkar, after facing massive protests and opposition to their false understanding of Ambedkar.’

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AISHWARYA ADHIKARI