Latest news with #Dalits'
News18
3 days ago
- General
- News18
78 Years After Independence, A Dalit Finally Got A Haircut In This Gujarat Village
On August 7, a Dalit man in Gujarat's Alvada village got his first local haircut, ending decades of caste-based discrimination at the barber's shop On August 7 this year, a historic event took place in Alvada village, Banaskantha district, Gujarat, marking a significant step towards social equality. On this day, 24-year-old farm labourer Kirti Chauhan received a haircut at the village barber's shop, the first time a Dalit had been served there. The Dalit community in the village regarded this as a moment of liberation. Breaking A Generational Barrier According to a report in The Times of India, Alvada has around 6,500 residents, including approximately 250 Dalits. For generations, local barbers refused to cut Dalits' hair, forcing them to seek this service in neighbouring villages, often concealing their caste to avoid discrimination. Chhogaji Chauhan, aged 58, reflected on the long-standing prejudice: 'Our ancestors faced this discrimination even before Independence, and my children endured it for eight decades." Kirti Chauhan's decision to have his hair cut at the local shop was a brave and emotional moment. He said, 'For the first time in 24 years, I sat at a barber's in my own village. Previously, we always had to go elsewhere. That day, I felt free and accepted in my own village." Mamlatdar Janak Mehta mediated discussions with village leaders to resolve the issue. Village Sarpanch Suresh Chaudhary expressed his regret over the past discrimination and his happiness at its resolution during his tenure. Now, all five barber shops in the village welcome Dalit customers. Barbers And Upper Castes Embrace Progress Pintu, the 21-year-old barber who cut Kirti's hair, stated, 'We used to follow social customs, but now that the elders have approved the change, there's no stopping us. Our business is also benefitting." Members of the upper castes are also supportive. Prakash Patel of the Patidar community remarked, 'If all customers are welcome at my grocery shop, why not the barber's? It's good that this wrongful practice has ended." A Step Forward, But More To Do Despite the progress, the Dalit community acknowledges that further change is necessary. Dalit farmer Ishwar Chauhan commented, 'Today we have a place at the barber's, but we are still made to sit separately at community feasts. Hopefully, that will end one day." This incident is more than just a trip to the barber shop for a haircut. The community sees this as a new beginning. As they put it, 'This is not just a haircut, but a significant step towards equality." view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Jagan claims collapse of law and order in Andhra, demands President's rule
'When there is no protection to politicians and citizens, law and order is deteriorating, and the Constitution is being violated, then why shouldn't President's rule be imposed?' Reddy posed on X. He alleged that YSRCP leaders and activists were being targeted through false cases, 'illegal' arrests, and an 'organised campaign of political harassment'. Amaravati, Jul 4 (PTI) YSRCP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday advocated the imposition of President's Rule in the state, alleging a total breakdown of law and order under the TDP-led NDA government. He said the recent attack on Dalit sarpanch Nagamalleswar Rao of Mannava village in Guntur district in broad daylight shows the 'lawlessness' in the state and the video of that incident depicts the gravity of the situation. The former chief minister alleged that YSRCP workers were being 'assaulted' for defying the ruling TDP and questioned whether people are truly safe under the Chandrababu Naidu government. Meanwhile, YSRCP SC Cell president TJR Sudhakar Babu accused Naidu of insulting Dalits. He alleged that the chief minister demeaned Dalit YSRCP supporter C Singayya, who died by allegedly falling under the wheels of Jagan Mohan Reddy's convoy at Etukuru Cross in Guntur district. Naidu likened Singayya to a dog and resorted to disrespecting the deceased person and politicising the tragedy, Babu alleged. The YSRCP leader also accused Naidu of showcasing 'a pattern of hurling casteist insults', and cited previous remarks by TDP leaders, ostensibly questioning Dalits' education and political rights. Babu alleged that CM Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh prioritise real estate over welfare and foster violence against Dalits, and demanded a full probe into Singayya's death. PTI MS STH NB NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"The sooner this is done, the better": Mayawati demands restoration of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj University's original name
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 26 (ANI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday paid heartfelt tributes to Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj on his birth anniversary, hailing him as the pioneer of reservation in India. In a post on X, Mayawati urged the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to restore the original name of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Medical University without further delay, which had been renamed during the Samajwadi Party's tenure. 'The sooner this is done, the better,' she said. Mayawati remembered the progressive ruler of Maharashtra's Kolhapur for his 'revolutionary step of granting reservation in jobs to Dalits' and said he had become immortal in Indian history. 'On his birth anniversary today, I offer heartfelt tributes and boundless reverence to him, along with warm congratulations and best wishes to all his followers,' the BSP Chief added. In a politically charged statement, she also said that the Dalits, tribals, and backwards classes in India were being systematically 'rendered ineffective' in their constitutional right to reservation. She added, 'In the absence of their own BSP government and the emergence of the majority as the ruling class, efforts are being made to make them helpless, compelled, and enslaved again.' Mayawati stressed that in such times, remembering Rajarshi Shahu's humane values and historic role in establishing justice became more important. She highlighted that during her four terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the BSP government had 'undertaken numerous works of historical significance' in honour of Shahu Maharaj. She pointed out that the BSP had named a new district and educational institutions and erected grand statues in his memory. She specifically mentioned the establishment and swift operationalisation of the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Medical University in Lucknow. However, Mayawati strongly criticised the Samajwadi Party government, accusing it of being 'opposed to Dalits, backwards classes, and their reservation rights.' She said the SP government had forcibly renamed the university to King George Medical University, despite the existence of a similarly named college already in Lucknow. 'It is unfortunate that even after such a long time, the BJP government that came to power in UP after the Samajwadi Party has not yet made the necessary changes/reforms in the public interest to address such a deeply malicious and casteist attitude of the Samajwadi Party,' Mayawati said. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Tejashwi Yadav claims ₹20k crore spent on PM Modi's rallies in Bihar
Patna, Jun 21 (PTI) RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday continued with his "pickpocket" jibe, claiming that a staggering ₹ 20,000 crore has been spent on rallies addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar so far. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that PM Modi had spent ₹ 20,000 crore of public money in rallies in Bihar(ANI) Also Read: Declined US President Trump's invite to Washington to come to Odisha: PM Modi The BJP also sharpened its counter-attack, with posters being put up across the state capital bearing the slogan "Mera baap chaara chor, mujhe vote do" (my father stole fodder meant for cattle, vote for me), belittling the leader of the opposition who leads the INDIA bloc in the upcoming assembly polls. The young leader, who had a day ago raised the hackles of the ruling NDA by alleging that exorbitant ticket fares of Vande Bharat made Modi look like a "pocketmaar" (pickpocket), used the expression again in a stinging social media post. Also Read: PM Modi's quote, 'kamal' removal: 5 changes made to Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par He alleged that rallies of Modi in Bihar, since 2014, have cost " ₹ 100 crore each" and there have been "200 such public meetings" so far. Also Read: In Bihar, PM Narendra Modi slams RJD over Lalu Yadav's feet near Ambedkar photo row: 'No respect for Dalits' "So the total amount splurged during the period, which has also seen five elections (three Lok Sabha and two Vidhan Sabha), is ₹ 20,000 such meetings have been organised by the government even though the objective has been, clearly, electoral," the former Bihar deputy CM claimed. Notably, Modi was in Siwan district on Friday, which was his fifth visit to the state this year, the second in less than a month, and said to be "51st" since taking over as the prime minister. Yadav, who seemed to be in no mood to give up his tirade, alleged, "What should we call a person who cleverly uses public money on his own pretends to be a man of integrity?... Of course, pocketmaar, not madadgaar (a helper of the people)." The BJP, which takes on the RJD in the assembly elections due in just a few months, retaliated with full force. A day after BJP's former state unit president and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary had sought to berate Yadav by using the famous line from the blockbuster 'Deewaar' - Mera baap chor Hai (my father is a thief) - in an obvious dig at RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's corruption taint, the party engaged in a "poster war". In the posters, which the party has not officially owned, the colourful slogan is inscribed next to a caricature that shows the father-son duo riding a buffalo, an obvious reference to the fodder scam. The conviction in the fodder scam has left Prasad, a former chief minister and an ex-Union minister, disqualified from contesting the elections.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Row over SP leader's comment on Wing Commander rages
The uproar over senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav's statement highlighting the caste identity of Wing Commander Vyomika Singh failed to die down with political parties on Friday (May 16, 2025) describing the comment as shameful and condemnable. They added that the SP is a party that 'tortured Dalits' during its regime, and it is not refraining from looking at Dalits as inferior even in this era. Also Read | M.P. Deputy CM's 'Forces bowing down to Modi' remarks spark row; Congress demands dismissal 'Shri Ram Gopal Yadav, who became a professor by continuously torturing Dalits, is not refraining from looking down upon Dalits even at this age. The real face of the SP, which is anti-Dalit, supporting elements working against India, appeasing Muslim community and narrow-minded is again in front of all of us,' said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) further hit out at the SP for spreading poison in the society and doing disservice to the nation. 'People who spread poison in the name of caste for political gains are doing a great disservice to the Indian Army and nation by vitiating the society with such perverse thought, such people only display their narrow vision which is against the spirit of Indian society which lives and thrives with different castes, languages, religions and worldviews. Indian society through history has lived with coherence. These SP leaders making such a statement symbolises them playing in the hands of elements working on a grand narrative of breaking India into pieces,' said Pushkar Mishra, a senior BJP functionary based in U.P. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati termed the statement shameful. 'The entire country is united and proud of the valour of Operation Sindoor of the Indian Army against the terrorists in Pakistan. In such a situation, it is extremely unfair to judge/divide the army on the basis of religion and caste. The mistake that the BJP minister made in this regard, the same senior SP leader has also made, which is shameful and condemnable,' wrote Ms. Mayawati on X. Mr. Yadav, who is a Rajya Sabha member, had on May 15 sparked a controversy when he said Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a part of the military's news briefings during Operation Sindoor, was being targeted by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minister as she is a Muslim, but Wing Commander Vyomika Singh was spared thinking she was Rajput. Touching upon the caste identity of Ms. Singh, the SP leader said all three — Ms. Qureshi, the Wing Commander and Air Marshal A.K. Bharti hail from the so-called PDA (Pichda, Dalit and Alpasankhyak) meaning Backward, Dalit and Minority social segments.
