Dalits tortured after protests: BJP MP

Alleged atrocities on Dalits since the Bharat bandh on April 2 against “dilution” of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act came into sharp focus on Sunday, with the Centre rushing to defend itself against attacks not just from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati but also Udit Raj, a Dalit MP from the party.

Coming in the wake of four BJP MPs in Uttar Pradesh accusing the party of not doing anything to protect Dalit interests, the turn of events suggests a sharpening of the caste rhetoric in Uttar Pradesh, which sent 73 NDA MPs to the Lok Sabha in 2014.

Names trouble spots

Mr. Raj set the tone for the heated debate when he tweeted that Dalits were tortured on a “large scale” after the Bandh, and mentioned Barmer, Jalore, Jaipur, Gwalior, Meerut, Bulandshahr and Karoli as trouble spots. The places mentioned by him are in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Ms. Mayawati — the prime claimant of U.P.’s Dalit votes — backed the charges.

“The Bharat bandh protest was largely successful. This has left the BJP scared and authorities in the BJP-ruled States have started atrocities against Dalits,” she said.

The Centre swung into damage control mode immediately, with Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot accusing those in politics in the name of B.R. Ambedkar of deviating from his path and resorting to violence.

He said the Modi government had “strengthened” the SC/ST Act through an amendment and had also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court to seek reversal of the procedure laid down by the apex court for arrest under the Act.