Punjab Dalit Solidarity

Contributions to Bant Singh Struggle Fund

2007-06-21T15:21:00.000+05:30

Given below are names of some of the contributors to the Bant Singh Struggle Fund. The list is long and will be updated from time to time and we are very thankful to all those who have contributed.

Amit Khansaheb : Rs 10,000
Nirmal Agarwal: Rs 1000
Dhiraj Malhotra: Rs 2100
Aslam Ahmed: Rs 350

Khairlanji :Exploding Some Myths

2007-04-10T19:56:00.000+05:30

Anand Teltumbde

The importance of Khairlanji lies in providing a clear illustration of the genesis, development and culmination of a caste atrocity. Khairlanji brings to the fore the irrelevance of dalit politics and politicians and rejection of them by ordinary dalits. But above all, Khairlanji helps dispel a number of myths – the myth that economic development does away with casteism, the myth of Maharashtra being a progressive state, the myth that there exists a significant progressive section of non-dalits that is against the caste system, the myth that dalits placed in the bureaucracy can orient the administration to do justice to dalits, and finally the mythology of ‘bahujanwad’ developed by the late Kanshiram and followed by other dalit leaders.

It is time to comprehend the significance of Khairlanji, the forces behind it, the reactions it evoked, and the lessons it holds forth. Khairlanji has exposed the omissions and commissions, indeed, the very complicity of the state in crimes against dalits, as also the bankruptcy and irrelevance of mainstream dalit politics and politicians. It has dispelled a number of myths – that economic development weakens the hold of the caste system; that Maharashtra is a progressive state; that there is a significant section of nondalits that is anti-caste; that a significant proportion of dalits in the bureaucracy can orient the state to fulfil its constitutional responsibility towards the dalits; and, that ‘bahujanwad’, which tries to unite the dalits and shudra castes on the basis of their caste identity, is a viable strategy of advance of the dalit cause

Read More........www.epw.org.in/articles/2007/03/11212.pdf

Giving Bant Singh a Hand

2007-02-20T10:48:00.000+05:30

There was a wild round of applause from the gathered crowd of agricultural workers and farmers as Bant Singh proceeded to do what no one, even a few months ago, imagined he was capable of - lift a red flag with his own hand.

Just over a year ago Bant, a Dalit singer and labour activist, had lost both his arms and a leg when local upper caste landlords in his native village of Jhabbar in Mansa district of Punjab had beaten him up severely. This was ‘punishment’ for the long legal and political battle he had fought and won over the rape of his minor daughter by goons supported by the local Congress Sarpanch.

But on 4 February 2007 at a public function in Burlada, outside Mansa town, Bant Singh received a state-of-the-art artificial limb capable of restoring some of the basic functions of his missing hand.

The limb manufactured by the reputed German prosthetic maker Otto Bock was custom built to suit Bant Singh’s needs following a rehabilitation drive launched by the Delhi based Forum for Democratic Initiatives (FDI). Funds for purchasing the artificial arm, that uses electronic sensors to move fingers and costs close to Rupees Four Lakhs, were collected from the general public with contributions coming from both within India and abroad.

“ See, I can drink a cup of tea now on my own!” says Bant gleefully later back in Mansa town, where he is camped for the past fortnight campaigning for the CPI (ML) Liberation candidates in the Punjab assembly elections. Bant is taking a break from his ongoing treatment at St.Stephens Hospital in New Delhi where he has been admitted since September last year.

According to doctors he will require a major surgery on his amputated leg to joint together two broken bones that have not yet healed since the attack on him in January 2006. That operation is likely to keep him confined to bed for several months.

“I want to see Bant Singh walk back home in his village” says Dr Mathew Verghese, the lead orthopedic surgeon in charge of his treament.

Bant has also received an artificial leg that he already uses to walk around. However in the absence of arms it is difficult to maintain balance.

Currently the plan is to fit Bant with one electro-mechanical arm from Otto Bock while the other prosthetic will be a less sophisticated device meant to provide only basic support. At a future date, depending on availability of funds, plans are to provide him with other devices that can improve his quality of life and make him as independent as possible.

While Bant lost his arms to caste violence in Punjab many agricultural workers routinely lose limbs while working on thresher machines in the fields. Though there are no accurate figures available their number runs into thousands and there is no program for rehabilitating them.

Again, while several institutions around India make artificial legs, including the famous Jaipur foot, there is none that makes artificial hands, which require more sophisticated technology. In a country that boasts of being a leader in satellite and nuclear expertise surely it shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with know-how for good quality arm prosthetics.

“There is basically a lack of concern on the part of the government for the welfare of ordinary working people who lose their limbs to violence or in accidents and this needs to be urgently redressed” says Radhika Menon, Convenor, Forum for Democratic Initiatives.

FDI also plans to undertake another initiative to teach Bant Singh to read Punjabi while he undergoes treatment in hospital. Though an accomplished and popular folk singer Bant, like many Dalits in the area he comes from, cannot read or write.

Already a hero among the Dalits of Mansa for his guts and fighting spirit, a literate Bant could become an inspiration among them for other reasons also. And the power of knowledge in the hands of the Dalits may well be what is required to take all of Punjab by storm soon.

The Mask of India Shining

2006-12-04T19:39:00.000+05:30

IN SEPTEMBER, Surekha Bhotmange and her daughter Priyanka in the village of Kherlanji (Vidarbha, Maharashtra) were stripped and brutally gang-raped as a public spectacle, and were eventually killed along with her two sons – all as ‘punishment’ for fighting against attempts to snatch away the family’s land.

In November, Kodikulam in Madurai (Tamilnadu), witnessed another public spectacle. This time, upper caste ‘elders’ gathered in the village square to participate in an ‘auction’ – for the possession of ‘rights’ over the panchayat President, Balamani, a dalit woman and agrarian labourer.

Even as Kherlanji, Kodikulam and Bant Singh’s struggle reveal the deep disconnect between the rhetoric and reality of Indian democracy, the Supreme Court, as part of its series of anti-people judgements, has echoed the corporate-sponsored myth of reservations being a ‘breach in the egalitarian structure of society’. In this verdict, the Supreme Court has, most disturbingly, recommended extending the ‘creamy layer’ criterion to the SCs and STs. Even in the case of OBCs, the concept of creamy layer is yet to be adequately defined and established. But at least it is possible to discern some ‘creamy layer’ among the OBCs, since sections of the OBCs have significantly consolidated their socio-economic status in the wake of agrarian reforms and green revolution. But the SCs and STs have overwhelmingly been bypassed by the entire process of agrarian reforms and green revolution – and Kherlanji has illustrated how even the most nominal signs of social mobility and education in dalits are brutally crushed. To talk of a ‘creamy layer’ among SCs and STs is a dangerous attempt by the apex court to subvert the constitutional provision of SC/ST reservation.

Today, a struggle of remarkable militancy is being waged in the streets of Vidarbha. Amazingly, Nagpur’s police chief has put the protestors themselves in the dock, alleging that while they were ‘apparently angry over the delay in investigation’, he himself ‘smelt a deeper conspiracy against the police’! Kherlanji and Kodikulam managed to burst through the polite mask of India Shining, as did Bant Singh’s struggles.

From: Liberation, November 2005 (www.cpiml.org)

Celebrating Resistance

2006-11-19T19:10:00.000+05:30

When Congress backed landlords assaulted Bant Singh, an activist of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha(MMM) from Mansa, Punjab , they probably thought that with that gruesome act they would succeed in terrorizing Bant Singh and the other rural poor who had begun asserting themselves. What they had not anticipated was the resolve of the rural poor to lead a life of dignity and the sacrifices they were willing to make for that.

Bant Singh, had lost his limbs after he was waylaid in a field while returning from a meeting in January 2006 and attacked with hand pump handles by seven assailants. This was following the justice won, after a long legal and political battle over the rape of his minor daughter by goons supported by the local Congress Sarpanch.

The atrocity created the uproar that it deserved and the agrarian workers and rural poor gave a war call for justice and have continued to organise under the banner of MMM and AIALA. Bant Singh in turn announced that far from being intimidated, his resolve to pursue worker's rights and for the dignity of dalit poor was firmer than ever. Ten months after the assault that took away his limbs, Bant Singh is determined to continue his work in organising the rural poor.

The Forum for Democratic Initiatives (FDI), Delhi, which had sent a team to Punjab in January 2006, to enquire into the details of the incident has been involved in bringing to the attention of the democratic polity on how Bant Singh's case reflects the other face of capitalist, prosperous Punjab. The campaign has highlighted the plight of those caught in the grip of feudal hierarchies and caste exploitation while mainstream media and the State paints a picture of capitalist growth and prosperity. The agrarian crisis has worsened the situation in rural areas of Punjab and particularly the condition of small, marginal farmers and the agrarian labour. They are buckling under economic crisis and facing threats of auctioneers, commissioning agents, loan retrievers as well as the age-old weapons of social boycotts and bonded labour. While many have buckled under the pressure as reflected by the high level of suicides among the agrarian community in the Malwa region, there are others, like Bant Singh, who have thrown their weight in the strength of the collective struggle.

To salute the spirit of this struggle by the rural poor and to honour Bant Singh, who has shown exemplary courage in the face of repeated adversity, a cultural evening was organised in Delhi , on 15 October 2006. Fund collection was also taken up in the evening as drive for Bant's rehabilitation. The evening began with Banthso (Guddi), Bant Singh's wife addressing the gathering. Comrade Kavaljeet from MMM, Mansa spoke of the current situation in the region. The Convenor of FDI, Radhika Menon, conducted the meeting on behalf of the felicitators, which saw a gathering of cultural performers, intelligentsia, and Delhi citizens, who had come together to celebrate resistance. Mandala presented Sharan Kumar Limbale's autobiographical story Akkarmashi, while Mahmood and Daanish presented the subversive but lost art of Urdu story telling, Dastangoi. The secular spirit of sufi was conveyed by Dhruv Sangari, Balli Cheema recited two of his new poems, while a rendition of rousing protest songs by Hirawal from Patna, brought the passion of poetry and politics to the evening. Footage taken by Daljit Ami of the AIALA rally in March 2006 in Chandigarh was shown, and an exhibition of photographs taken by Raghu Rai and Anurag Singh with text by FDI on Bant Singh's case and the situation of agrarian labour in Punjab set the context for the evening. The highlight of the evening was a moving video, prepared in the form of a ‘Video Letter from Bant Singh', prepared by Sanjay Kak and shot by Anurag Singh. In the 7-minute video letter, Bant Singh renders songs that have been the spirit of struggles and speaks of the battles engaging the rural poor and dalit in Punjab .

Writer Arundhati Roy welcomed the celebration of resistance and the efforts to rehabilitate Bant Singh as a political act. She said Bant Singh must be given back political limbs because they were smashed and taken away as part of a political act. She said there would be those who would want to depoliticise his rehabilitation but that his rehabilitation would be incomplete without knowing the context of his struggles.

The fund collection for Bant Singh's rehabilitation by AIALA has seen a warm response from across a wide section of people. FDI has been coordinating the efforts for this rehabilitation. If Bant Singh were to stand up again in the village, where his tormentors tried to cut him down for asserting the dignity and rights of the poor, it would be on the strength of the solidarity of the hundreds and thousands of people who have extended hope to this struggle in a small village in Punjab – thus defeating the very terror that his tormentors had sought to instil.

Contributors to the Bant Singh Struggle Fund

2006-09-29T22:49:00.000+05:30

Following is a list of people who have sent contributions towards the Bant Singh Struggle Fund:

Tilak Sarkar : Rs 5,000
Yoginder Sikand: Rs 800
Tauqueer Fazal: Rs 200
Prashant Bhushan: Rs 10,000
Sunny Meeta: Rs 10,000
Naina: Rs 500
Joginder Kundhi: Rs 500
Julie Sedel +Arnaud Sauli +
Djallal Heuzé +Nathalie Garcia +
Nicolas Jaoul+ Dalel Benbaabali = Rs 9572

If you would like to contribute towards Bant Singh’s Medical treatment or the legal battle to ensure compensation for him and the conviction of the accused, Please send a cheque/DD in favour of AIALA, payable at Delhi.

Kindly write your full name, address and email to enable us to send you a receipt.

Please send your contribution to AIALA
U-90 Shakarpur, Delhi 110 092

Medical Rehabilitation of Bant Singh

2006-09-29T22:32:00.000+05:30

While Bant Singh continues to defy the fetters imposed by the

disability following the barbaric assault, there are several

difficulties that he now faces. He is unable to move on his

own, a surgery is pending in the leg that was left intact but

dysfunctional. He has 8 very young children to look after; his

piggery the work that had freed him from the feudal bonds

of being tied to the landlords fields has collapsed and there

are multiple medical complications.

What You can Do

While Bant Singh’s courage is incredibly exemplary, we cannot

be mere spectators. We could all contribute to his medical

rehabilitation and ensure that he is back on his feet. Doctors

have pointed out that with the current developments in

medical technology, it would not be impossible to fit

artificial limbs, both arms and legs, for him. Given the

nature of amputation and the extent of prosthetic aids

required, it is an expensive procedure but this is also necessary

to prevent his organs from getting atrophied.

Bant Singh is currently admitted in St. Stephen’s Hospital,

Delhi. Today, while the process of medical rehabilitation has

started, there is an urgent need for funds so that we can get

the best possible prosthetic aids for him. We urgently seek

your financial support for this purpose.

Bant Singh’s rehabilitation would give all struggling

people immense courage and hope. We owe it to Bant

Singh to enable him to walk again.

You can draw your cheque/ DD in favour of

AIALA, payable at Delhi.

Please send it to U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi 110 092.

Enough! Dalits in Punjab Fight Back

2006-06-14T09:36:00.000+05:30

In a case that highlights the continuing exploitation of landless dalits in Punjab by a feudal socio-economic structure — often abetted by the State and the vernacular media — three minor dalit girls in Mansa were falsely accused of theft and beaten by the local police in an attempt to force them to admit to a crime they did not commit. However, landless dalits in the Malwa region of Punjab are fighting back against entrenched feudal exploitation.

Mansa has been roiled for the last two weeks by the case of an alleged theft of 10 tolas (120 grams) of gold by three dalit girls who worked as domestic helps at the residence of Labh Singh, an upper-caste Jat Sikh landlord in the village of Attla Kalan. Local police now admit that the three girls are innocent and the prime suspect is in fact Labh Singh’s daughter-in-law Ranjit Kaur.

Tehelka, June 13

Debt drives Punjab farmers to suicide

2006-05-17T21:42:00.000+05:30

In the last 15 years, 49 Jat Sikh farmers in Bhullan village of Punjab's Sangrur district have committed suicide, leaving behind their women, children and staggering loans.

"Debt is climbing, please help us, we are widows. We should at least get something for our children's education," said Lajo, a widow.

Land ownership

Ever since cotton became the favoured crop along with wheat in Punjab two decades ago, excessive pesticide use, growing salinity and a ballooning debt trap have led to a major shift in land ownership in the country's grain bowl.

Civil society groups say more than 20,000 farmers have killed themselves across Punjab in the last 20 years. These suicides have become a grim equaliser, pushing small and marginal Jat Sikh farmers down the economic and social ladder.

A Jat Sikh woman, Shiela Kaur's 14-acre farm is now down to two acres after her husband could not payback a loan of Rs 2,50,000.

Kaur's husband borrowed money for a tubewell, but he died trying to repay the loan. His wife and two small children are forced to toil as farm workers on their own fields.

"I have begun labouring on my farm. I have no option as I don't have resources which I once had," said Kaur.

Little work left

For the land owning Jat farmer, joining the ranks of Dalits is a huge drop in social status.

With more and more Jat Sikh farmers finding themselves heavily indebted, the Dalits who once worked their land find little work.

Saund Singh, a 60-year-old Dalit Sikh farmer, got only 15 days of work.

"There's no work here whatsoever. I will have to look for other ways to earn money," said Saund Singh.

Saund Singh's sons, Mahinder, Jagraj and Inderjeet, dreamt of working on their own land rather than those of the Jats. They borrowed money and took land on contract. All three were unable to repay the loans and over five years, all three killed themselves.

Unending wait

In the village, the caste hierarchy is dissolving.

"A certain reform has come in the caste system which is good, but I wish such a reform had not come through destitution, poverty and suicides," said Inderjeet Singh Jaijee, a social worker.

The farmer suicides have received attention and subsequent relief in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka.

But for the farmers of Punjab, it has been one long and unending wait for acknowledgement and relief.

Sandeep Bhushan
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Down, but not out; Bant Singh holds rally

2006-03-06T13:41:00.000+05:30

“They cannot cut through my spirit till I am alive,” stated Bant Singh, at a massive rally, organised by the Bant Singh Jabar Kand Virodhi Action Committee, today at the Plaza, Sector 17. The rally was attended by thousands of workers from all over Punjab in support of Bant Singh and his crusade. “My limbs have been cut, but not my tongue and till I am alive, I will fight for the cause of the poor,” he stated.

Talking to TNS, he said while earlier his fight was only for his family and daughter, now he was fighting for his fellow brothers. “I will now work for my fellow brothers till I live,” he stated. Not concerned about the compensation given out by the government he said, he would not rest till the guilty were punished. “They can take back their money, the compensation I want is justice,” he said.

Bant Singh, farm worker, was brutally attacked in January by seven armed men for avenging a legal battle fought by Bant Singh against certain influential persons from Jat families. Bant Singh lost both his arms and one leg in the incident. The incident was in retaliation against the conviction of those who are guilty of rape of his daughter.

The rally saw workers raising slogans against the Punjab Government for not fulfilling the demands made by the Bant Singh Jabbar Kand Virodhi Action Committee constituted by 14 organisations of agricultural labourers, industrial workers, brick-kiln workers, etc.

The members of the organisation demanded the fulfilment of their demands, which included a job for victim’s wife, allowance for his minor children, Rs 1 lakh compensation for his daughter, action against the corrupt doctor of Civil Hospital, Mansa, and SHO, Joga police station, the arrest of sarpanch Jaswant Singh for hatching the conspiracy.

The speakers also used the opportunity to stress the problems of dalits and poor peasants. They demanded that the living standard of the rural poor be improved and they should be guaranteed eight hours working day and adequate minimum wages.

The rally was addressed by among others by Mr Tarsem Jodhan (Lal Jhanda Bhatha Majdoor Union), Mr Bhagwant Singh Smaon (Majdoor Mukti Morcha), Mr Malkiat Singh (All India Centre of Trade Unions), Mr Lachman SeveWala (Punjab Khet Majdoor Union), Mr. Sukhdarshan Nat (AICCTU), Kanwaljeet Singh (All India Centre of Trade Unions), Jai Singh (Dalit Dasta Virodhi Andolan) Mr Atma Singh Atma, TUC Mansa, Jora Singh Nasrali (All-India Kisan Co-ordination committee among others.

Similar protests were also held today at the outside the Indian High Commission, London, UK. The protests were held by the UK based organisations, including the South Asia Solidatory groups, Indian workers’ Association, Asian women United, Punjab Human rights groups. Apart from being endorsed by a number of UK-based organisations, the petition is online and has been signed by more than 600 individuals. They have sent a letter regarding the same to the Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh.

Amrita Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 3

"My father had to pay a heavy price to get me justice"

2006-02-23T02:14:00.000+05:30

I, Baljit Kaur, daughter of Sri Bant Singh, am a resident of village Burj Jhabbar in Mansa District, Punjab. I was gang-raped on 6 July 2002. I did not conceal the incident and along with my father waged a struggle for justice. My father, Bant Singh Jhabbar, could file an FIR only after a month despite pressure and various enticements from the village Panchayat which led to convictions of the assaulters Mandhir Singh, Dr.Tarsem and Gurmail Kaur. All the three were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Since my father had gone against the wishes of the Panchayat in getting justice, therefore the Sarpanch Jaswant Singh and his elder brother, who is an ex-sarpanch, and both of whom are local leaders of the Congress party. became sworn enemies of my father and started threatening him regularly.
My father got me married to Resham Singh one and half month before the rapists were convicted. My father earned a livelihood by raising pigs. He has seven children of whom my four brothers are just infants. My father keeps himself in high self-esteem. He has been very active in the work of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha and CPI(ML) Liberation. As part of his activism he also got the license for a ration depot of one Amrik Singh cancelled for not distributing ration in the village.
My father was first attacked in August 2005 and the attackers were charged under Sec. 23-24 of the Indian Penal Code. He was attacked a second time in December 2005 and this time the guilty were booked under Sec.107 and 151. In both these cases the Sarpanch Jaswant got the bail for all the attackers and openly stated at the Joga police station itself that “even if you had injured him more seriously, I would still get you out on bail”. These same attackers dealt a deadly attack on my father on 5 January 2006 and the attack was conspired by the present and ex-Sarpanch and officials of the Joga police station. Two sons each of Jaswant Singh and Amrik Singh Vicky and Babli, Appi and Sandeep respectively (who are also relatives of the rapist Mandhir), Honey, S/o Inderjit Singh, and Gurditta and Didar were the main attackers.
My father had to pay a heavy price to get me justice. Both his arms and one leg have been amputated and the criminals are roaming freely. Initially the attackers were given bail from the thana itself due to implicating them under simple charge of 325. It was only after people took to the streets, parties and organisations got involved and news papers carried stories, that fresh charges of 307, 308 and SC-ST Act were levelled against them and they were arrested. Except the Government and the Administration now everyone is with us. I'm ready to fight till we have got justice but will my father get his limbs back?
I demand that both the Sarpanch belonging to the Congress party be booked under Sec.120B and immediately arrested, the SHO of the Joga police station be suspended immediately and case filed against him for hobnobbing with the criminals, a life-long attendant be provided to my father along with a compensation of Rupees Ten lakhs provision be made for looking after my brothers and sisters and one of us be given a permanent job.
The District Commissioner of Mansa has attempted to do away with the issues involved by getting himself photographed by the press while giving a cheque of just Rs. One lakh and some rations to my family. Is this sufficient for treatment of my father and to raise my siblings? The Amarinder Government in Punjab as well as the Administration is shielding the criminals. But my people, my Party and I will continue the struggle until my father and I get justice.
My father is currently admitted at PGI, Chandigarh, where the doctors are trying to save his other badly injured leg. If our demands are not fulfilled then I will be rather compelled to return this cheque of Rs.One lakh.

Inquilab!

2006-02-19T19:58:00.000+05:30

Jithe khun hain meren veeriyan da Vishiya sadkan te haqan di luk banke Buchar khaneyan chon jithe lok mere Nittar rahe itihas di thuk banke Maa dhartiye sada suhagne ni Mere yaaran nu janam tu deyin uthe…

Written by Sant Ram Udasi, this Punjabi poem has now become Bant Singh Inquilabi’s beloved song. The poem talks about the pride of his ‘brave brothers’ struggle’ for their rights. He asks mother earth to give them birth again in this land where they are “emerging from the slaughter houses where they were always the spit of history”.

In the ‘trauma ward’ of the PGIPMER at Chandigarh, it is more than just Bant Singh’s mangled, sun-burnt torso that has made him so popular among the patients, attendants and hospital staff. Every night, this revolutionary regales the ward with inquilabi songs and stories of his struggles. So hypnotic is the spirit of this piggery-owner from Mansa that attendants and patients ward off security guards and stick by Bant’s side till the early hours of the morning. One such admirer is young Balkar Singh from Kaithal in Haryana, who is attending upon a sick uncle on a nearby bed. Now, Balkar too wants to join the inquilabi movement like Bant, so inspired he has become.

“I realise I have become a symbol for the oppressed to fight on. “I never will give up my struggle. I can still sing. I can still talk. Can they stop me from that? Never. I had decided I will always work on my own and never as a servant of the landlords. My wounds are grievous, I am physically helpless, but I will still work on my own,’’ says Bant, without a glimmer of self-pity.

But why did they attack? For the first time, he breaks down. “They rape our women. They raped my daughter. I fought back. I made sure they were punished. In every village people were becoming members of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha. They believed me. I told them they should stop working for the landlords. I was one of the 10 delegates from Punjab for the national conference on labour in Rajahmundry. All this, obviously, outraged the landlords.”

Tehelka, Feb 18 , 2006
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main16.asp?filename=Cr021806inquilab.asp

Past imperfect, future tense

2006-02-09T15:41:00.000+05:30

It is a moot point whether Bant Singh of Jhabbar village, of remote Mansa district in Punjab, would have been attacked had he not joined the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha.

Perhaps they would have spared him had he not successfully campaigned for the cancellation of the licence of an upper-caste ration depot manager.
It would have taken some doing to spare him though, for he is a Dalit and that is a bad thing in today’s Punjab.

To top it all, he had successfully fought a court battle against retainers of dominant Jat landholders, who raped his minor daughter. Surely, it is a miracle in itself that the sessions court in Punjab had committed the rapists to a life sentence in 2002.

That is a seriously long list of audacities for a Dalit, particularly in Punjab. Bant is known as a singer of rousing protest songs. A long-time sympathiser of the CPI(ML) movement, he had been engaged for some months in mobilising labourers as part of preparations for the national conference of the All India Agrarian Labour Association.

On the evening of January 5, Bant Singh was returning home after making enrollments for the forthcoming conference. He was waylaid by seven persons, at the behest of the current and former village heads, Jaswant Singh and Niranjan Singh.

They assaulted Bant, using axes, iron rods and the handle of a hand pump. Incidentally, Jaswant and Niranjan’s relatives were convicted for Bant’s daughter’s rape.

Heavy blows
At the Mansa Civil Hospital, Dr Purushottam Goel demanded a bribe for Bant’s treatment and did not attend to him till 36 hours from the time of admission.

Bant’s wounds were bandaged only on the seventh day, and the next day his attendants were told — apparently at the instance of local Congress bigwigs — that the hospital lacked facilities to treat him. By the time Bant was shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh, it was too late to save both his hands and a leg.

Now, Bant Singh lies in a hospital in Chandigarh. To his grieving comrades, he said, “They’ve only got my limbs, I’ve still got my voice — I can still sing!”

Grim picture
You can visit http://www.punjabdalitsolidarity.blogspot.com and sign a petition in Bant’s support. Once you’ve done that, give this a thought. Punjab is the land of Sikhism, the faith that started as a healing bridge between Hinduism and Islam.

Why is it that today, that Punjab and Haryana account for maximum violence against Dalits? Was it not at Gohna, a district in Haryana, some months ago that an entire Dalit mohalla was razed?

Are not the Panchayats of western UP and Haryana most infamous for prosecuting Dalits and Jatavs who have relations with upper-caste women?

The divide runs deep
I had a foretaste of the situation in Punjab from Ajay Bhardwaj’s splendid film on Dalit Sufis of Punjab, Kitte Mil ve Mahi. As Sufi-revolutionary Lal Singh Dil, says in Bhardwaj’s film, “The Chamars are Adivasis, the shuruaati log, who were evicted from their lands by usurpers who came later… but the fact is that Chamars in Punjab are in very bad shape.”

The film takes us to the world of Dalit Sufi shrines in Punjab, some of them old, some newly erected as Dalits try and create a syncretic world of icons, images and traditions for a corner of their own.

This Sufism though, does not find many takers among Muslims and on many occasions, Jat Sikhs and other upper castes have come down heavily on these symbols of Dalit assertion, burning down shrines, preventing people from gathering there, restricting worship.

There are also several Dalit gurudwaras in Punjab, as the upper castes would not allow them to worship in others. As another character in Bhardwaj’s film says, “So many Gurus have come and gone but the Dalits are still where they were.”

Root cause
The reason why Bant needed to be so severely put down lies, ironically, in his success. Bant waged a successful resistance for long. Dalits could construct and maintain these shrines as they could organise themselves. Sangthan is the key to the fight against social justice.

I am happy at least one Communist party is trying to do that. Wouldn’t it be nice though if the mahi of Sufi shrines and of Mazdoor Morchas can come together — when shall the twain meet? For a deeper insight into the matter, watch Bharadwaj’s film. Write to ajayunmukt@yahoo.com.

Mahmood Farooqui, Mid-Day

http://ww1.mid-day.com/columns/mahmood_farooqui/2006/february/129994.htm

'Medical help and compensation highest priority'

2006-01-29T23:42:00.000+05:30

Statement issued by a team of journalists, filmmakers, academicians and human rights activists who visited Chandigarh and Mansa from 22 to 24 January 2006 to express solidarity with Bant Singh and his family:

The barbaric assault on Bant Singh, a Dalit agricultural worker and activist from Burj Jhabbar in Mansa District of Punjab on 5th January 2006 by upper caste youth represents a grave violation of human rights and all norms of civilized behaviour in our country. The seriousness of the attack can be gauged form the fact that as a result three of Bant Singh’s limbs- both his hands and a leg- have had to be amputated and the remaining limb still remains in danger. Bant Singh’s own survival so far has been nothing short of a miracle.

Based on our interaction with Bant Singh’s family, fellow villagers, district level police officials and social activists we would like to make the following observations:

A) The highest priority needs to be accorded by the Punjab government to the medical treatment and rehabilitation of Bant Singh, in particular provision of artificial limbs to him at an appropriate stage. This has to be undertaken irrespective of the costs or efforts involved. Further, the rehabilitation will have to consider also the living conditions, livelihood and insurance against future ailments arising from Bant Singh’s current disabilities.
B) Due compensation for Bant Singh and his family must immediately be organized by the government in order to alleviate the great suffering caused by the assault again keeping in mind all future needs.
C) While police authorities have, under great public pressure, arrested seven youths who have been allegedly involved in the assault on Bant Singh no efforts must be spared to bring the real masterminds behind the scene to justice. An independent inquiry into the incident needs to be constituted to avoid suspicion that the Punjab government is shielding prominent people involved in planning the attack due to their affiliation with the ruling Congress Party.
D) We are deeply concerned about attempts being made by senior police officials to dismiss any link between the attack on Bant Singh with his courageous struggle against those responsible for the rape of his minor daughter in 2002. The successful conviction of those involved in the rape to life imprisonment by a Sessions Court in 2004 is a very strong motivation for the repeated assaults by upper caste youth on Bant Singh over the past year and should not be swept aside as irrelevant to the case.
E) The Bant Singh incident in our view represents the tip of the proverbial iceberg as far as atrocities on Dalits in Punjab are concerned. Apart from the severe economic exploitation of Dalits, who form a very large percentage of all agricultural labour in the state, there seems to be a systematic sexual exploitation of Dalit women prevalent in the state. This a matter for immediate inquiry by the SC/ST Commission, the National Human Rights Commission as well as the National Women’s Commission. In the absence of any such inquiry at the national level this matter should be taken to international forums such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.

"I’ve still got my voice – I can still sing!’

2006-01-20T16:26:00.000+05:30

A savage and barbaric assault by powerful Congress-backed Jat landlords has left Bant Singh, Dalit leader of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (AIALA) in Mansa, Punjab, with both arms and one leg amputated. Remaining leg is also in danger. On January 5, Sarpanch Jaswant Singh and former Sarpanch Niranjan Singh of Jhabbar village conspired a attack on Bant Singh. Critically injured, Bant Singh lay for 36 hours in the Mansa Civil Hospital , while the Hospital authorities, influenced by the Congress leaders, refused him any treatment. Eventually, he was taken to the PGI at Chandigarh , where his limbs had to be amputated since gangrene had set in, and his kidneys collapsed due to blood loss.

We were told that massacres of Dalits only happened in the hinterland of backward Bihar – not in ‘developed’ capitalist Punjab , harvesting the green gold of the Green Revolution. But Bant Singh’s story reveals the sordid reality behind the media image of the prosperous Punjab farmer on his tractor in a mustard field. Green revolution technology and ‘development’ has clearly failed to erode feudal social relations – on the contrary, feudal brutality has intensified in the wake of the crisis faced by the farmers themselves. Agrarian development in Punjab has not resulted in democratization – rather, it has concentrated land and resources in the hands of a small set of families close to the ruling class parties – Congress and Akali Dal. Agrarian labour, at the bottom of the ladder face destitution and desperate unemployment – along with social boycotts and brutal attacks on the basis of caste. Social dignity for Dalits remains a burning issue in Punjab – just as much as it is in Bihar or UP.

Bant Singh is known in his village and among his comrades as a singer of rousing protest songs. A sympathizer of the CPI(ML) movement for many years, he became active in 2000, in the course of a struggle against the rape of his then minor daughter by the goons who are close to Jaswant Singh and Niranjan Singh. The rapists were awarded a life sentence in 2002 after a legal and political battle waged by the agrarian labour organization and the CPI(ML). The attack on Bant Singh was probably an act of retribution for daring to achieve this bit of justice, and for continuing to be a leading organiser of agrarian labourers. Before January 5, Bant Singh was engaged in mobilising labourers as part of preparations for the National Conference of the All India Agrarian Labour Association (AIALA), at which he was one of the delegates from Punjab .

Hindu mythology tells the story of Ekalavya – the tribal youth who cut off his thumb on the demand of Dronacharya so that Ekalavya would not be a better archer than the kshatriya boys. Ekalavya, being a tribal, must have been a natural archer – but he was mutilated and robbed of his traditional skill and his right to self-defence and survival. Today, one gets the feeling that the story of Ekalavya is being played out again and again. In order to rob tribals of their only means of survival in Orissa – their rights over land, forests, rivers, they are not only shot dead for resisting, their hands, genitals and women’s breasts are chopped off in police custody. In Punjab , upper caste landlords chop off Bant Singh’s limbs. The graphic, horrific act of mutilation continues to be a weapon to ‘teach’ Dalits and tribals ‘their place’ – to warn them not to aspire for social dignity and rights.

When his comrades met Bant Singh in hospital, they broke down – but Bant Singh told them, ‘They’ve only got my limbs, I’ve still got my voice – I can still sing!’ As we salute Bant Singh’s courage and his spirit, as we feel outrage and anger at the brutality unleashed on him and his family of 8 children in which he is the only earning member, it seems that today’s Ekalavyas are not willing to give up their rights as ‘dakshina’ – and mutilation and barbarism can’t silence their songs and crush their spirit of resistance.

Source: ML Update www.cpiml.org

Bant Singh: Dalit, Defiant, Decapitated

2006-01-19T10:36:00.000+05:30

Two hands and a leg amputated. The remaining limb yet to heal, has turned gangrenous and may also have to be removed. His kidneys have been damaged due to excessive bleeding and he can hardly eat and digest any food.

And yet defiance still sparkles in the eyes of Bant Singh, a Dalit agricultural labour activist, as he lies in the trauma ward of a state-run hospital in Chandigarh where doctors are battling to save his only remaining leg and even his life.

It is precisely for this defiance, coming from a ‘lower caste’ Dalit, that Bant Singh from Jhabhar village of Mansa district in Punjab was beaten to pulp and left for dead by armed upper caste men around a fortnight ago.

Apart from his activities organizing poor, agricultural workers Bant Singh’s greatest ’sin’, in the eyes of his tormentors, was the long running battle for justice against the men who raped his minor daughter five years ago. The court case he launched, braving both threats of violence and attempted bribes, resulted in life sentences for three of the culprits in 2002.

On the evening of January 5, 2006 as Bant Singh returned home after campaigning for a national agricultural labour assembly to be held in Andhra Pradesh later during the month the upper castes wrought their revenge.

Walking through the wheat fields Bant Singh was waylaid by a gang of seven men, suspected to be sent by Jaswant and Niranjan Singh, the current and former headmen of his village. One of them brandished a revolver to prevent any resistance while the other six set upon him with iron rods and axes beating him to pulp.

Just after leaving him for dead, the attackers called up Beant Singh, another former headman from Bant Singh’s village to come and pick up the body. Even this was not the end of the torment heaped on this 40-year-old father of eight children and the only earning member in the family.

At the Mansa Civil Hospital where Bant Singh was taken soon after the attack Purushottam Goel, the doctor who admitted the patient, demanded a bribe and did not even care to provide treatment for 36 full hours. Bant Singh was bandaged only on the 7 th and the next day his attendants were told that the hospital lacked facilities to treat him and so he should be removed to some other hospital. By the time Bant Singh was shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh, it was too late to save two of his hands and leg.

Even now as he lies in a hospital fighting for survival influential upper caste families in his village are threatening all those who are helping him out in his grave crisis. While there are conflicting reports of the Mansa police arresting some of the men who attacked him there is no certainty that they will be ever punished.

Following are the demands that have been raised by Bant Singh’s colleagues and comrades from the agricultural labour rights and other movements in Punjab demanding justice for him and his family:

1. The Punjab Government make arrangements for best possible medical treatment and artificial limbs for Bant Singh.

2. A high level team of the National Human Rights Commission visit the patient and his village to ascertain facts of the case.

3. The culprits as well as Jaswant and Niranjan Singh be booked under Sec. 307 IPC and Sec. 120B and the SC/ST Act and immediately be arrested.

4. A compensation of Rupees10,00,000 be granted to the family and a permanent attendant be provided to Bant Singh.

5. The wife of Bant Singh be provided with a Government job.

6. Dr. Purushottam Goel be immediately terminated.

7. An Independent National Commission be set up to enquire into atrocities on Dalits in Punjab, in particular those employed as agricultural labour.