Did former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu assault a tribal woman  during a meeting in East Godavari district? Yes, says a television channel, which repeatedly telecast the scene but Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) denies it. The visuals show TDP chief raising his hand to beat a woman, snatching the mike from her and even hitting her on her arm to force her to sit down. The main opposition...

Atrocities against SC/STs won't be taken lightly any more. The government on Monday proposed to increase the number of fast-track courts to dispose of atrocities cases against them. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has directed officials attached to the civil rights enforcement (CRE) cell to ensure speedy disposal of cases on atrocities committed on dalits, and promised to set up more special courts to try such cases. At present, there are seven...

Gangadhar Gaikwad writes to Governor after work on his house was stalled Gangadhar Gaikwad's neighbourhood hates him. His Scheduled Caste background is a constant source of irritation. And a house that the government decided to build him is a thorn in the flesh. One fine day, construction of the house stopped. “These Mangs [an SC community in Maharashtra] have come and now they want to build a house in front of ours....

Three tea shops in Subbaiahpuram near Alangkulam in Tirunelveli district were sealed by police on Friday for discriminating against dalits by using the 'double tumbler' system. The tea shop owners have also been arrested. Tirunelveli SP Asra Garg said he got information that the teashops were serving dalits with a different set of tumblers and decided to visit the village on Friday morning. "I was ashamed to see the dalits...

Union minister for social justice and empowerment Mukul Wasnik today indicated a huge gap between figures of atrocities provided by the Orissa government and those available with the National Crime Records Bureau. “The state government’s information needs to be furnished afresh,” Wasnik said after a review meeting of the committee constituted to curb offences of untouchability and atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) here today. According to the state...