Independence Day
On August 15th, at the Dalit Asmita Yatra, Radhika Vemula unfurled the national flag & Dalits pledged to seek “freedom from atrocities and caste-based discrimination”. Here is a photo essay of the event. However, those coming back from the yatra were attacked by so-called gau rakshaks in nearby villages.
In Chattisgarh, as the tricolour was unfurled, activist Soni Sori reminded everyone of Madkam Hidme, who was picked up by the police, possibly raped & killed in a fake encounter in June. She said, “We have come here today to Gompad, on this Independence Day, to appeal to the country and the government that justice must be delivered to Madkam Hidme. The adivasis of Bastar are part of our country too. Hidme was a sister and a daughter of Bastar. She will not just fade away,”
Olympic Winners
This week we saw two Olympic medals from sportswomen in India. They are not our daughters or sisters, but they are successful sportswomen from a country which popularly just polices women’s clothes & access. So, read more about them.
So, who is Sakshi Malik?
Misogynistic, Casteist & State-Sponsored Violence
For the last seven months, a Dalit rape victim from Vadli village has been camping next to the office of the Amreli (Gujarat) district collector along with 22 members of her extended family. While the government declared them hijrati or forced migrants, those accused of committing the crime and later intimidating the family are out on bail, and have returned to the village.
A 15-year-old Dalit boy was thrashed by two men in Bhavda village in Ahmedabad district because his father declined to dispose of cattle carcasses in the village. The father was responding to Dalit leaders’ call to community members after the July 11 Una flogging incident that they should refuse to remove dead animals.
A 30-year-old teacher died in the custody of the Indian army in Indian-administered Kashmir. The death toll now raises to 66.
Bulandshahr Rape: The CBI has now taken over the investigation in the Bulandshahr rape case. During the subsequent probe, it surfaced that some of the ‘accused’ were framed.
Other News
As the application for abortion by a 16-year-old rape victim was rejected by a fast-track court in Bareilly, it is important to read about why there is a need to de-stigmatise the termination of pregnancies and allow for late term abortions since a woman’s right to abortion is a necessary condition for her reproductive autonomy.
Gurgaon’s first all-women city police station launched in August last year, has seen a three-fold increase in the number of FIRs registered. Most complaints are on cases of dory harassment and domestic violence. This increase basically means the all-women police station has made it easier for women to file complaints.
Delhi Police came under severe attack from all political parties for making public the name of a rape survivor while Delhi Commission for Women sought stringent action against the erring officials.
The UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will soon start hiring women bus conductors for short bus routes. The reasons for this step includes more employment opportunities for women and a sense of safety for women passengers.
What We’re Reading
They fought like girls – Dipa, Sakshi & Sindhu i.e.
Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin becomes the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal.
A sea of people at Una, pledging to not do sanitation work again and never to dispose off dead cattle ever again.
Forcing girls not to wear hijab it is as bad as forcing them to, says Iranian exile Marjane Satrapi.
This Week On FII
Book Review: Seeing like a feminist by Nivedita Menon
PV Sindhu’s win made me sob uncontrollably with anger.
