National Commission for Scheduled Castes unhappy with Kerala govt over rise in violence against Dalits

Thiruvananthapuram: National Commission for Scheduled Castes Saturday said atrocities against Dalits were increasing in Kerala, and the state government has failed to ensure them adequate safety. L Murugan, Vice Chairman of the Commission said here that the agency has been receiving lots of complaints of atrocities especially against Dalit women and also regarding the diversion of SC funds for other purposes. [caption id=“attachment_3766079” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] He was in the city after visiting SC (Scheduled Caste) colonies in Govindapuram village in Palakkad district, where Dalit residents had been reportedly suffering from untouchability and some villages in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district. “According to the figures of the Crime Records Bureau, as many as 883 cases of atrocities have been reported against Scheduled Caste people in the state during the period between June 2016 to April 2017,” he told reporters here. “Of them, 12 were murder cases and 155 were rape. The state government has failed to ensure Dalits especially SC women protection. The state government should take necessary steps to ensure protection for SC people,” he said. Lack of timely action by the government may lead to instill insecurity in the minds of Dalit people, he said. Murugan also asked the state government to ensure basic amenities in Dalit colonies across the state. “The condition of SC colonies in the state is very worse. I visited some of such places including the Ambedkar colony in Govindapuram and similar ones in Muvattupuzha,” he said. Basic amenities including proper housing and drinking water are lacking in SC colonies, he said adding that there was not even burial grounds to cremate Dalits in many places.