Monday, October 19, 2009

Politics for silence under the rule of lord: collision of caste, patriarchy and corruption


Widespread corruption and the near-impossible task of exposing it, has rendered many of the government-sponsored schemes in rural India a failure. Neither the state government nor its agencies like the revenue department and the police have shown much active interest in the problem. When ordinary villagers protest and fall victim to landlord-sponsored violence, their protection often falls to human rights defenders. This has led to many such defenders being abused, injured and killed.

 

It is noted that PVCHR activists are human rights activist facing threat, the threat is also an infringement of the right to association and freedom of speech and expression of the community that PVCHR work with and also against PVCHR activists. In the caste based feudalist setup in rural villages of India, the village head and officers at the local bodies like the Block Office and the local police officers is pretty much what government is. What these officers do to the ordinary people is what governance is. Most often due to inadequate monitoring mechanisms these officers exploit their authority and position in the villages to such extent that the ordinary villagers are forced to pay bribes and the like to these officers to avail their services.

The villages are remotely located in many parts of India that even the district administration finds it difficult to be in touch with the village and block level officers even to verify the implementation of government welfare programmes. The fact that the PVCHR is organizing the villagers and protesting before authorities is an act of trying to link the severed connection between government schemes and actual implementation at the grass-root level. This act often becomes a direct challenge to the authority of those officers in rural areas who thus far had been enjoying the illegal benefits of lack of accountability. When such protests are organised and attended by the members of the lower caste, who were so far under the absolute control of the petty officers and their corrupt practices it poses a further threat to the authority of these officers. For all these reasons Mangala and his work is at risk. Additionally, in a state like Uttar Pradesh, were death threats turn real often, there is good reason why a person like Mangala should take all precautions to ensure that he himself and the people for whom he work remains safe.

 

The village sabha meeting of Ahirani Nathipur was arranged on 6th July, 09 in the primary school instead of the open space. In the meeting village head husband Mr. Arun Singh alias Lolarak Singh was continuously influencing and misbehaving with the presented village sabha members. The member informed to BDO and SDM, Pindra. The meeting peacefully proceeds after the intervention of the Kathirao police outpost in charge.  So, the responsibility of BDO is to inform police and administration but he did not do so.

 

 

According to local reports, the head position at Nathaipur village at Varanasi in India was reserved for a female candidate in the past election. The local landlord Lolarak Singh put his wife, Usha Devi forward for the post and since then for all practical purposes, Lolarak has managed the office, allegedly controlling the village with a group of aggressive henchmen and paying regular bribes to village officials. It appears to local activists that officials have colluded in the misappropriation of funds meant for development programmes. The arrival of Singh at the audit with the BDO, plus the lack of action taken by the officer, has done little to assuage these suspicions.

 

A social audit was arranged at the Ahirani Community Centre in Nathaipur village on 14 September by the Badagaon Block Development Officer (BDO). The audit was to look into the operation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (NREGA), which is operated by the Village Panchayat – the smallest village administrative unit, last amended in 1999 under the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1947. The NREGA is a central government scheme that provides employment to the poor and is supposed to work in tandem with the Panchayat to make sure that village affairs are attended to on a grassroots level and that villager are empowered.

The elected village head is charged with keeping payment records under the scheme, and the social audit has been built into NREGA to avoid corruption and allow villagers to lodge complaints. Local human rights organisations are also invited to participate in the audit to ensure transparency.

Though the village head, Ms. Usha Devi, was not present for the audit, her husband, Mr. Lolarak Singh arrived at the community centre with BDO Mr. Atul Mishra, in the latter's vehicle. However when Mishra started reading out the payment records to the villagers, according to procedure, many found that they were falsely recorded as having been employed and paid. A Mr. Lalji objected to the entry of his name in the list, which recorded too many working days. Others started to complain, and claim that embezzlement had taken place.

According to our reports, Singh along with staff of the Village Panchayat, including Mr. Anil Dubey, the Village Secretary and the Assistant Development Officer verbally abused the villagers, and then started to physically push them around. Various women were struck, including a Ms. Chandra Devi. Activists note that Singh and the officers were then joined by known underworld figures, who had been keeping a low profile at the meeting. They reportedly started to beat the villagers, shouting that low caste Dalits have no right to complain against their upper caste masters.

Lalji and Mr. Magala Rajbhar, an activist associated with the PVCHR, tried to intervene and keep the peace, but were beaten by Singh. The BDO called off the meeting and made moves to leave. When asked to call the police by two female PVCHR staff members (Ms. Shruti and Ms. Anupam), he claimed that he would rather report it personally. Shruti requested that she and Lajli go with him and the three tried to leave, but a mob of upper caste men led by Singh reportedly surrounded the vehicle and demanded that Lalji get out. At this point Mishra allegedly pushed Lalji out of his vehicle, and Shruti followed, fearing for his safety. The two were beaten, and one man, Guddu Dubey, known for his links to the underworld, struck Shruti to the ground. Villagers were able to intervene and the two victims were taken to Phulpur Police Station to make a report.

At the station they found that BDO Mishra had not reported the incident. Police refused to register the case or make moves to go to the scene. Left with no other option, Shruti filed a written complaint at the station and returned to the PVCHR office in Varanasi.

The village sabha of Nathaipur is consists of three ghettos i.e. Nathaipur, Tetuapat and Ahirani. Till 9th July, 2009 100 job cards issued to landless labour of Ahirani village, 13 job cards in Nathaipur. (Given data is orally presented in the meeting)

 

In Ahirani village most of the job card holders are landless and their families depend on daily wages. The impact of NREGA scheme is preventing starvation and migration of the youth.

 

On 11th September, 09 the job card holder of Ahirani village submitted complain letter to BDO, against the Rojgar Sevak. The BDO directed Rojgar Sevak, Nathaipur "several times you were taught, how to take work on hard soil. In place of following you are working against the rule, if you are unable to understand consult technician.

 

 

 According to information received from the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), a social audit was arranged at the Ahirani Community Centre in Nathaipur village on 14 September by the Badagaon Block Development Officer (BDO). The audit was to look into the operation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (NREGA), which is operated by the Village Panchayat – the smallest village administrative unit, last amended in 1999 under the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1947. The NREGA is a central government scheme that provides employment to the poor and is supposed to work in tandem with the Panchayat to make sure that village affairs are attended to on a grassroots level, and that villagers are empowered.

The elected village head is charged with keeping payment records under the scheme, and the social audit has been built into NREGA to avoid corruption and allow villagers to lodge complaints. Local human rights organisations are also invited to participate in the audit to ensure transparency.

Though the village head, Ms. Usha Devi, was not present for the audit, her husband, Mr. Lolarak Singh arrived at the community centre with BDO Mr. Atul Mishra, in the latter's vehicle. However when Mishra started reading out the payment records to the villagers, according to procedure, many found that they were falsely recorded as having been employed and paid. A Mr. Lalji objected to the entry of his name in the list, which recorded too many working days. Others started to complain, and claim that embezzlement had taken place.

According to our reports, Singh along with staff of the Village Panchayat, including Mr. Anil Dubey, the Village Secretary and the Assistant Development Officer verbally abused the villagers, and then started to physically push them around. Various women were struck, including a Ms. Chandra Devi. Activists note that Singh and the officers were then joined by known underworld figures, who had been keeping a low profile at the meeting. They reportedly started to beat the villagers, shouting that low caste Dalits have no right to complain against their upper caste masters.

Lalji and Mr. Magala Rajbhar, an activist associated with the PVCHR, tried to intervene and keep the peace, but were beaten by Singh. The BDO called off the meeting and made moves to leave. When asked to call the police by two female PVCHR staff members (Ms. Shruti and her sister Ms. Anupam), he claimed that he would rather report it personally. Shruti requested that she and Lajli go with him and the three tried to leave, but a mob of upper caste men led by Singh reportedly surrounded the vehicle and demanded that Lalji get out. At this point Mishra allegedly pushed Lalji out of his vehicle, and Shruti followed, fearing for his safety. The two were beaten, and one man, Guddu Dubey, known for his links to the underworld, struck Shruti to the ground. Villagers were able to intervene and the two victims were taken to Phulpur Police Station to make a report.

At the station they found that BDO Mishra had not reported the incident. Police refused to register the case or make moves to go to the scene. Left with no other option, Shruti filed a written complaint at the station and returned to the PVCHR office in Varanasi.

 

Ms. Shruti Says "this circumstance is not itself of the Nathaipur village but its prevail in another district also for example in Ayar village we are running the kitchen project in the mid of the Mushars hamlet than they are looking as a saint, but when Pappu Mushar break his silence against the corruption than they called us the peace breaker".    Dom Helder Camara has truly said ''When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist''






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