“NGOs and political parties claiming to work in the interest of SCs and STs must conduct programmes imparting awareness about the amendments made in the bill. Similarly journalists, advocates and media too can help in creating awareness.”
By A Mirsab, Twocircles.net,
New Delhi: The amended Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act unanimously passed by the Lok Sabha is only half a step towards strengthening the rights of Dalits/Scheduled Castes/Adivasis/Scheduled Tribes and passing of it in Rajya Sabha and subsequent implementation of it is the remaining half step, believes former secretary to Government of India P S Krishnan.
The amended SC/ST Bill 2014 providing stringent actions for offences against SC/ST people was passed by Lok Sabha on August 4 and is due to be tabled before Rajya Sabha before it is sent to the President for according sanction for its implementation in all the states and Union Territories.
P S Krishnan, former government of India secretary
P S Krishnan, a former government of India secretary, who has been active in the field of social justice for SCs, STs, BCs including BCs of minorities for more than six and half decades is the driving force behind bringing significant amendments to the bill.
He has put tremendous efforts in collaboration with the national coalition of about 500 dalit and human rights organisations to make stronger the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities), 1989 (POA) Act.
The Bill brings within the ambit of atrocities, major IPC offences not specifically listed and IPC offences listed in the Schedule to the Bill. It also lists out the specific duties of public servants. Failure to perform them by a non-SC, non-ST public servant is punishable as in the original Act.
Speaking with TwoCircles.net, he shared his thoughts and vision regarding the bill. He also pondered over the hurdles in implementation of the bill and sincerely urged the NGOs, social workers, advocates and media to increase awareness about it.
“This is a significant half-step for the dalits/scheduled castes/adivasis/scheduled tribes who are a quarter of our population, supply the major part of our labour, are the most oppressed and downtrodden over the centuries till today and who are the victims of the most inhuman crimes,” he said before appreciating the present minister for tabling the bill in Lok Sabha.
Although it is an important event for SCs/STs, Krishnan said, it seems it is not an important event for the national print and electronic media, “It was for the better protection of Dalits and Adivasis from atrocities that the POA Act 1989 was enacted. National media should contribute in increasing awareness so that growing atrocities against SCs/STs may be brought down,” he opined.
Soon after passing of bill in the Lok Sabha, Krishnan requested major opposition parties and leaders to support the bill in the Rajya Sabha irrespective of other differences with the government so that the amendments are passed in this monsoon session itself. But due to the ongoing logjam in Rajya Sabha due to the strong demand by Congress for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the bill is not likely to be passed in this session.
“Our system is very slow and operates at its own speed. At times individual efforts reduces avoidable holdup,” he said and recalled his way of working while he was in office: “I used to immediately carry the file to Rajya Sabha soon after passing of the bill in Lok Sabha. One needs that dedication to see bills are passed without unnecessary delay”.
The recent conversion of 100-odd dalits in Haryana to Islam, he said, “can also be controlled with this law as people of other religion will have hesitation in approaching dalits with intention to promote their own religion and turn dalits from their traditional faith.”
In regards with the Backward Classes he said, “They (BCs) can achieve their goals better by securing the cooperation of SCs and STs by giving them cooperation in their struggle against atrocities and ‘untouchability’ and for their other rights.”
When asked if the bill is directed against non–SCs/STs, he told, “Most of the people of the non-Dalit, non-Adivasi society are law-abiding and have no criminal intent towards SCs and STs but certain elites who want to maintain age-old domination over SCs and STs commit, promote and encourage such crimes. Some political leaders resort to it for narrow electoral considerations.”
“After passing of the bill in Rajya Sabha another challenge will be its implementation,” Krishnan said adding, “That is where assistance from all quarters is required to reign in atrocities against SCs and STs.”
According to him, the first major step required after the bill is given consent by the President will be to create awareness amongst the suffering SCs and STs about their increased rights who are more often oppressed and subjected to inhuman treatment by certain elites from the society. “NGOs and political parties claiming to work in the interest of SCs and STs must conduct programmes imparting awareness about the amendments made in the bill. Similarly journalists, advocates and media too can help in creating awareness,” he opined.
He says there have been many cases reported from many states where police officers refused to file FIRs on the complaints of SC/ST victims and with the new amendments such suppression by police can be stopped.
On questioning how to tackle the cases which would arise out of personal enmity where any SC/ST would complain against non-SC/ST, he said: “That can be easily detected by police in their investigation but apprehension of such misuse of law is far less as compared to the recorded atrocities happening in the absence of such stringent provisions.”
“Is this not a fact that numbers of cases have been reported from many states when police refused to file FIRs in genuine cases?” he questioned.
In the end he appealed to the masses of non-Dalit, non-Adivasi society to actively participate in eliminating atrocities against SCs and STs in cooperation with them.