Harish blames Congress, BJP

‘Modi should meet Chief Justice and request review of the ruling’

HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 02-04-2018: Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao addressing the media conference at at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad. Photo: K.V.S. Giri

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has blamed Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for continuing attacks and atrocities on Dalits in the country even 70 years after Independence.

Instead of blaming each other, the two parties should take moral responsibility for continuing attacks on dalits in spite of the communities having provisions for their protection in the Constitution and legislations such as the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, Minister for Legislative Affairs T. Harish Rao said here on Tuesday.

“It is the vote bank politics of the two parties which ruled the country all these years, which are responsible for attacks on dalits,” he alleged.

Terming the death of nine persons during the incidents related to Bharat Bandh on Monday, the protest call given against the Supreme Court ruling on the implementation of SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act against arresting those accused of committing atrocities/attacks on dalits immediately after a case is registered, as unfortunate, the TRS leader said it had created a sense of insecurity and fear among dalits. “They have a feeling now that they would not get protection even if a case is registered against attack on them,” he said.

Had the Congress and BJP not played vote bank politics, the cases on atrocities/attacks against SC and ST communities would not have been so high. Citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, the TRS leader explained the number of cases registered against atrocities on Dalit and tribal communities in the country was 40,481 in 2011 followed by 40,435 in 2012, 41,826 in 2013, 45,531 in 2014, 46,407 in 2014, 46,027 in 2015 and 45,286 in 2016.

Stating that the atrocities were high in BJP-ruled States, Mr. Harish Rao said out of total attacks on dalits in 2015 in the country, 6,998 were reported in Rajasthan, 8,538 in Uttar Pradesh, 6,438 in Bihar and 4,188 in Madhya Pradesh. Similarly, out of the total crimes reported in those States, the atrocities on Dalits comprise 57% cases in Rajasthan, 38.9% in Bihar and 36.9% in Madhya Pradesh. Atrocities against ST communities were also high in BJP-ruled States.

The TRS leader demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet the Chief Justice of India and request review of the ruling of March 20 and also assure dalits that the Centre would protect Dalit and tribal communities' rights.