-Deccan Herald Despite many laws, untouchability remains a part of rural India “We were warned against going to the temple; they threatened us with dire consequences if we dare to lodge a complaint with the police,”   said Badlu Lal, a resident of Sahasa village in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. The warning came not because Lal and his fellowmen did something wrong; their only fault was that, they belong to...

-The Hindustan Times The country recorded a marginal fall in atrocities against Dalits in 2010 over the previous year. The conviction rate for atrocities improved by 5.5%, but what alarms is the high pendency rate of 78.7%. Though the Mayawati government ensured a drop in atrocities on SCs, evident by a fall of 1,189 cases over 2009, UP still tops the chart for such cases. The state recorded 6,272 cases forming 19.2%...

A report sent to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by the NGO, Navsarjan, has revealed that dalits in Gujarat are frequently forced to leave their native villages because of clashes with members of forward castes. Denial of entry into temples is another reason for dalit migration in the state, the report states. The NHRC has taken serious note of the allegations made in the report. Earlier this month, it issued...

On this day 75 years ago, on November 12, 1936, the Maharajah of Travancore signed the historic Temple Entry Proclamation, and “in one bold stroke, the age long injustice of barring lower castes from entering temple was removed.” And, a “tidal wave of joy and rejoicing passed through every nook and corner” of Travancore. The action attracted attention and admiration from the whole country. Travancore may not have been the first...

Residents overcome an age-old bastion of discrimination The Dalits of Uthapuram village near here, where the ‘untouchability' wall was demolished in 2008, on Thursday entered a temple under the control of the upper caste Hindus, with police protection. Although scores of upper caste Hindus received the 11 Dalit persons outside the temple with folded hands, the scene was marred by the loud wails of women from the nearby streets who were opposed...