Protests in Uttar Pradesh against Attacks on Dalits
THE CPI(ML) organised state-wide protests in Uttar Pradesh on 14 August 2018 against the burning of the Constitution publicly by Sanghis after the SC-ST Act was reinstated in Parliament, and against the attacks on Umar Khalid in Delhi and Dalits in Mirzapur where forward caste dominant sections ganged up to attack dalit women and children in village Kolha, Lalgaon.
Earlier on 13 August the Party District unit held a dharna at the Mirzapur Collectorate to protest against the incident at village Kolha. The dharna was addressed by Kisan Mahasabha State Secretary Ishwari Prasad Kushwaha, Shashikant Kushwaha, Jeera Bharati, Nandlal Biyar and others.
The dharna at the Ambedkar statue in Hazratganj, Lucknow on 14 August was addressed by CPI(ML) State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav where he strongly condemned the violence and firing by armed feudal forces in the presence of the administration and police in order to capture lands for which the dalits held pattas. He pointed out that attacks on dalits and the poor have increased sharply during the Yogi regime. Law and order are missing from the Yogi government contrary to its promise of crime-free, corruption-free and fear-free State. The common man is terrified, with cases of rape and murder, loot and dacoity on the rise. Corruption is at an unprecedented high; Muslims and dalits live in fear of mob lynching and police repression. The morale of dominant feudal forces is high and the common man finds life very hard. He said that feudal people ran over a pregnant dalit woman with a tractor in the presence of the police causing her child to be aborted. An aged dalit man was caught and brutally beaten up with lathis and sticks. The injured are fighting for their lives in hospital. But the Thana is shying away from even registering a report, under pressure from the BJP. This evil government must be thrown out and the struggle of the working class strengthened and sharpened.
Protests were also organized at Gorakhpur, Banaras, Ghazipur, Mau, Ballia, Bhadohi, Chandauli, Sitapur, Pilibhit, Jalaun, Allahabad and other districts. The following demands were made through the protests: strict action against those who burnt the Constitution; register FIR against those who attacked dalits and women in Mirzapur; the attackers should be sent to jail and action should be taken against the administrative and police officials who are protecting them; the dalits should be given back their lands; the attackers of Umar Khalid in Delhi should be arrested without delay.
