New Delhi: Key bodies meant to safeguard the rights and look into complaints of Dalits and tribals have been without crucial office-bearers at both the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, where the gang rape of a Dalit girl in Hathras has sparked massive outrage.
While the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has been without a chairman and other members for four months, the Uttar Pradesh SC/ST Commission, which is meant to safeguard the rights of Dalits and tribals in the state, has been headless for 10 months now.
The job of the national commission is not only meant to safeguard the rights of the SC communities but also inquire into specific complaints concerning the deprivation of their rights.
The recent tenure of the national commission office-bearers ended in May. BJP leader and former MP Ram Shankar Katheria served as the chairperson and L. Murugan, the party’s Tamil Nadu unit chief, was the vice-chairperson.
An official from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, under which the NCSC works, said the government is looking at replacements. “The process of selection and appointment of the officer bearer of SC commission is on,” the official said.
But opposition parties alleged that it is reflective of the “anti-Dalit attitude” of the Modi government. “These commissions are not the priority of the Modi government. This is a medium for the SC community to get their grievances addressed. But for the Modi government, these people don’t matter,” said the Congress’ P.L. Punia. “They rather want that institutional authorities should be as less as possible. Not only the SC commission but even the ST commission has been headless.”
The SC commission has been without a chairman for several months now.
Punia has served two terms as the chairperson of the SC commission from 2010 to 2016. He was succeeded by Katheria, who was appointed to the constitutional body in May 2017 after the Congress leader’s tenure ended in October 2016.
“Had the government been serious, they would have started the process of appointment even before the tenure of the commission was ending. This shows their intent,” Punia said.
“The Commission is important as it takes up issues related to SC atrocities and action taken reports are sought. In the six years that I served as the chairperson, we used to act on the complaints and even used to visit the states and districts as required. Even if one member of the commission would have been appointed the commission can function.”
Also read: Hathras woman’s family says they know what would have saved her — ‘being a Pandit or Thakur’
No different in UP
It’s a similar case in Uttar Pradesh, where the gangrape and forcible cremation of a Dalit girl in Hathras have led to outrage, with questions being raised about the Yogi Adityanath government’s efforts at safeguarding minority rights.
The Uttar Pradesh SC/ST Commission has been without a chairman for the past 10 months as former director general of police Brij Lal, who headed the commission, retired in November 2019.
“This is being done deliberately because they don’t want them to get justice. They don’t even think of them as human beings,” said Rajendra Patode, spokesperson of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, the political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. “It is not only national but the Uttar Pradesh SC/ST commission has also not been constituted. This shows what they really think about the SC community.”
ThePrint contacted UP government spokespersons Siddharth Nath Singh and Mahendra Singh through phone for a comment. While Siddharth Nath’s office said he was in an official meeting and would respond when free, there was no response from Mahendra Singh. The report will be updated if we get a response.
Also read: Dalit women often face sexual violence because of, yes, their caste