BSP office bearer rains lathis on dalit labourers

BSP office bearer rains lathis on dalit labourers

BAHUJAN SAMAJ PARTY (BSP) OFFICE BEARER BEATS DALIT LABOURERS ON THE EVE OF MAYAWATI'S BIRTHDAY

The husband of Gram Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Aira Kake Mau, Block Bharawan, District Hardoi, U.P., Ghanshaym, who runs the show in this Panchayat on behalf of his wife Urmila Devi, started misbehaving with labourers, all of whom were dalits, and activists of Asha Ashram located in this Panchayat, when they reached his place according to a pre-agreed programme on 14th January, 2009.

The main grievance of the workers was that they had been paid less than what was due to them and their Job Cards were either not given to them or contained arbitrary entries. They had come to inspect the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) documents in accordance with the right of social audit given under NREGA.

When tension mounted the Station Officer of the Atrauli Police Station arrived on the scene with is police. Ghanshyam, who is the Bahujan Samaj Party Treasurer from the Vidhan Sabha constituency of Minister for Science and Technology in UP Government, Abdul Mannan, refused to show any records or make pending payments of the labourers. The labourers then began to write their complaints in order to register an FIR.

As the first application was being written he snatched the Job Cards, in the process of which he tore one of them, and his supporters came out with lathis (wooden sticks) and in the presence of the S.O. and police started raining the lathis on labourers and activists. In this attack one dalit labourer Medai s/o Narayan and an activist of Asha Parivar Ram Bharose were injured on the head. The Police, labourers and activists showed restraint.

After the incident Ghanshyam took all his supporters in a tractor-trolley to Abdul Mannan. The labourers and activists started a dharna outside his house. SDM, Sandila and Circle Officer arrived to resolve the matter. When the talks failed a complaint was filed against Ghanshyam under Section 25 of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) for making wrong entries on Job Card, keeping the Job Cards of labourers with him and tearing a Job Card.

For more information, please contact:
Ram Babu, 9452144454
Neelkamal, 9453898067
Ram Sagar Verma, 9451209863
Arundhati Dhuru, 9415022772 (senior Narmada Bachao Andolan activist)
SR Darapuri, 9415164845 (retd IG Police)
Dr Sandeep Pandey, 0522 2347365 (Magsaysay Awardee 2002)

Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), UP