In a recent example of India’s horrific caste system, a 16-year-old Dalit school boy died after he was thrashed almost unconscious in front of other students by an upper caste teacher for writing a poem to an upper caste girl. He was also beaten by family members of the girl the next day, found semi-conscious and taken to hospital where he later died. Local leaders have sought an inquiry into the incident as the police appear to be siding with the upper caste girl’s family and the teacher. ->> MeriNews | Read the Full Story
India’s 17 years of economic change have widened the gap between rich and poor. More than a quarter of the population lives below the official poverty line, subsisting on roughly $US1 ($1.04) a day; one in four city dwellers lives on less than 50 cents a day; and nearly half of all children are malnourished. ->> SMH | Read the Full Story
Children do die from malnutrition in Uttar Pradesh. The latest was two-year-old Sahabuddin, who died May 31, 2008. He lived with his parents in Dhannipur village in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. His parents were too poor to feed Sahabuddin – he weighed only six kilograms when he died. This is Grade III malnutrition, a condition that the world hears of in places like Somalia.
June 19: The largest number of child labourers in the country are from Uttar Pradesh despite anti-child labour schemes in place since the 1980s. And this is not an allegation by activists but the finding of a report released by the UP government ~ The State of Children in Uttar Pradesh. The Statesman | Read [...]
April 14th, 2008 School principal accused of abusing Dalit student: In his complaint to the police, Prem Narayan alleged that when he approached the institute for admission on March 28, he was asked to pay Rs.45,000 as donation. On expressing his inability to pay the amount, he was asked to come the next day. When [...]
13 Mar 2008: Close on the heels of the Patan sex scandal where male teachers ganged raped a hapless girl while subjecting others to shameful treatment, around 50-60 students of Nehru Garden Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Jalandhar have written to the principal saying they were being “sexually exploited” by a sports coach. The [...]
11 March 2008: In fact, it was established that it is the lower caste—known as Dalits—who suffer from starvation and malnutrition within Uttar Pradesh, due to systemic discrimination. MyNews.in | Read the Full Story |
A recent study found that Dalit (Untouchable) children were often discouraged by teachers and fellow-students belonging to upper caste Hindu social groups. In many schools Dalit pupils were not allowed to share water with caste Hindus. If the teacher decided that the boy needed a beating as punishment, the task was assigned to another Dalit boy. Above all, the study found a systematic refusal of admission to Dalits in certain schools, particularly at the Plus Two level.
8 March 2008: Chicago, Prosecutors say ancient Indian social classifications could be linked to the deaths of a Chicago-area family: Chicago Tribune | Read the Full Story |
Today, more than 25% of India’s population sits below the Indian Government’s own poverty line of 30 rupees a day. The World Health Organisation’s poverty line it set at US$1 a day. | Link |
