HUNDREDS of Dalits from across Kerala participated in a 25-day long jatha from Kasaragode in the state’s north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south, under the banner of Pattikajathi Kshema Samithi (PKS). The march to the state secretariat started from the northernmost district of Kasargode on July 26 and reached Venganoor in Thiruvananthapuram on August 16. On August 18, more than one lakh PKS activists participated in the ‘Secretariat March’, which was inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat.

THE mind numbing atrocities perpetrated on dalits in different parts of India have been continuing unabated. The main reason for this is the stranglehold of wealthy `high castes’ of our society in rural and urban areas. The protection they get from the ruling classes and the administration is another important factor. The failure of the redressal mechanism is a very crucial reason in the emboldening of the upper caste mafia.

IFTAR parties hosted by political parties have become important statements of political importance and ability to attract a large number of prominent Muslims and clerics and, above all, members of the political class.  They have now assumed a new role, that of displaying political alliances and alignments.  All this is accompanied with an ostentatious display of wealth and lavish hospitality quite far removed from what Iftar means to most of those observing the Ramzan fast.  For them it is an occasion to share special moments with family members and friends and also to help those who are le

ON the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM), Delhi committee has organised a seminar on ‘Neo-liberal policies and Dalits’ on July 4. Hundreds of people from various areas of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida participated in the seminar. Professor Gopal Guru (JNU), Subhashini Ali, Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) and Dr Bajrang Bihari Tiwari (Delhi University) were the main speakers in the seminar. A three member presidium comprising Brahmjeet Singh, Sonia Verma and Vidyapati conducted the proceedings of the seminar.

At the call of the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM), hundreds of people demonstrated at the Jodhpur divisional headquarters on June 16. They attempted to barge into the collectorate when they were stopped from entering it.