BENGALURU: Bengaluru City University (BCU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Lingaraja Gandhi said that Dr BR Ambedkar’s ideas of equal rights for women, in particular, are still relevant in this day and age. Speaking at the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations organised by BCU on Friday, Prof Gandhi said, “Ambedkar has asserted that democracy becomes meaningful only when the goal of social, economic and political equality is achieved for every citizen. His economic thoughts with a special emphasis on women’s equality are still very relevant today.”
Meanwhile, student organisations also took the opportunity to celebrate Dr Ambedkar’s birthday. The Karnataka branch of the All India Student Association (AISA) highlighted a report, collectively put together by AISA, the All India Lawyer’s Association for Justice (AILAJ) and the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), on atrocities against Dalits in Haveri.
The report particularly focuses on several cases of violence against Dalits in March 2023 at Nandihalli village in Haveri, for attempting to participate in Basaveshwara Jatre. They had been allegedly subjected to violence from casteist slurs to sexual abuse and arson, following which a complaint had been filed against the perpetrators. However, according to the report, no compensation or allowances had been issued to the affected, as accorded by the Atrocities Act, 1989.
“All in all, there is a systemic breakdown of law, and rampant violations of the rights of the Dalit community in Nandihalli, and more broadly, in the Haveri district. Constitutional promises of right to life, liberty and dignity of the Dalit community under Article 21 have been squandered. Their rights guaranteed through Articles 15 and 17, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of caste, and abolished untouchability have been violated,” the report stated.