Dalit kids now getting attacked
Discrimination higher in South Tamil Nadu
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-09-08 06:14 GMT
Chennai: The sense of outrage over the attack on a 16-year-old Dalit boy for wearing a watch to school by non-Dalit students at Thiruthangal in Sivakasi is only the tip of the iceberg. Figures show that the state has been witnessing a spurt in the involvement of juveniles in discriminating against Dalits.According to National Crime Record Bureau data, the number of cases registered under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) act against juveniles went up to 24 in 2013 from 5 in 2011.
The discrimination against Dalit students in the classrooms in the state, particularly in the southern districts, goes unchecked, says A. Kathir, executive director, Evidence, an NGO working for uplift of Dalits. He said that the caste system, which is deeply entrenched in the society, has percolated down to juveniles.
The caste Hindu students of the Government boys higher secondary school at Thiruthangal had even prevented the teachers from taking a class on Dr Ambedkar lesson, Mr Karthir said, pointing out the issue was raised in the peace meet held in Sivakasi on September 5 following the attack on the Dalit boy. The meeting, which was attended by both Dalits and caste Hindus, has also recommended constructing a separate school for Dalits in their village, he said. Dalits were forced to seek a separate school as their children were facing discrimination and violent attacks, he added.
Sivakasi Tahsildar, Mohamed Rafi Khan who chaired the peace meeting said that it was Dalits who demanded a separate school in their village to end discrimination. “A parent and teachers meeting will be held in the school every month to address the problems faced by the students. The report will be sent to the collector and chief education officer,” he said.
To end all kinds of discrimination in the society, Mr Kathir said that the government should include lessons on value education. “A rabid anti-Dalit campaign by a castiest party leader is dangerously percolating down to the juveniles on both sides,” TN Untouchability Eradication Front president P. Sampath said. The attack on the Dalit student is yet another illustration of that”, he said.