NHRC asks for factual report from the District Collector, Karnal, on violation of human rights dalits
New Delhi May 1, 2007
The National Human Rights Commission has sent notice to the District Collector, Karnal, Haryana asking for factual report on violation of Human Rights of dalits of Bibipur village. Taking suo-motu cognizance of newspaper reports the Commission said if the contents are true, they raise the serious issue of violation of human rights of dalits of Bibipur village.
The reports published in the "Hindu" on 14 & 15th March, 2007 captioned as "A Dalilt temple's encounter with official India" and "A System against Dalilts", which brought out the atrocities committed on dalilts in village Bibipur, Tehsil Indri, District Karnal, Haryana. According to the newspaper articles, in Bibipur a small village in Haryana's Karnal Distirct, the Dalits struggled to build a temple against severe resistance from forward class people and officials. However, their temple has been razed ostensibly because it was sought to be built on village school land. However, a shrine constructed by forward class villagers in the same village remains on public land. It is further reported that many of the dalits women do "begar" labour (a form of bonded labour) working in the fields from sunrise to sunset for little more than subsistence level food. The forward caste people refuse to admit dalits into their temple. There is no sanitary facilty available for dalits, which puts the women at considerable risk. It is also reported that, in Haryana violence against Dalits is constant and it is quite often brutally physical.
The Commission has given four weeks time to the District Collector, for the factual report.
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The National Human Rights Commission has sent notice to the District Collector, Karnal, Haryana asking for factual report on violation of Human Rights of dalits of Bibipur village. Taking suo-motu cognizance of newspaper reports the Commission said if the contents are true, they raise the serious issue of violation of human rights of dalits of Bibipur village.
The reports published in the "Hindu" on 14 & 15th March, 2007 captioned as "A Dalilt temple's encounter with official India" and "A System against Dalilts", which brought out the atrocities committed on dalilts in village Bibipur, Tehsil Indri, District Karnal, Haryana. According to the newspaper articles, in Bibipur a small village in Haryana's Karnal Distirct, the Dalits struggled to build a temple against severe resistance from forward class people and officials. However, their temple has been razed ostensibly because it was sought to be built on village school land. However, a shrine constructed by forward class villagers in the same village remains on public land. It is further reported that many of the dalits women do "begar" labour (a form of bonded labour) working in the fields from sunrise to sunset for little more than subsistence level food. The forward caste people refuse to admit dalits into their temple. There is no sanitary facilty available for dalits, which puts the women at considerable risk. It is also reported that, in Haryana violence against Dalits is constant and it is quite often brutally physical.
The Commission has given four weeks time to the District Collector, for the factual report.
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