Dalit Groups March in Dharwad Over Three Atrocity Cases, Seek Action Against Police
A coalition of Dalit organisations held a protest march in Dharwad on November 3, from Kalabhavan to the office of the Superintendent of Police, demanding justice for three families in the district who say they were subjected to atrocities, and seeking action against police officials accused of failing to act promptly on their complaints.
The organisations alleged that in each of the three cases, the police were slow to register the victims' complaints, while registering counter-cases against members of the victims' families. They said this had added to the hardship of families already seeking redress.
The protesters cited three incidents from different parts of Dharwad district.
In the first, Abhishek alias Pirappa Chalavadi of Mishrikoti village in Kalaghatgi taluk was allegedly attacked with a knife by a group of men and is being treated at KMC Hospital in Hubballi. The organisations questioned why a counter-case was registered against members of his family.
In the second, Srikanth Ramappa Chalavadi of Kogilageri village in Alnavar taluk was allegedly assaulted with weapons while selling fruit on the Dharwad–Alnavar road. The protesters said he suffered serious head injuries, and that a complaint was registered three days after the incident. Police also registered a counter-case against three members of his family, they said.
The third case concerns a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 42-year-old man. The protesters alleged that attempts were made to threaten the girl and to have the matter settled through mediation rather than through the legal process.
The organisations demanded an impartial inquiry into the counter-cases, action against those accused in the three incidents, protection for the families of the victims, and a speedy investigation into the alleged sexual assault of the minor. They also sought a higher-level inquiry into the alleged lapses by the police and the suspension of the officers concerned.
The protesters clarified that their agitation was directed against injustice and atrocities, and was not aimed at any caste or religion.
The allegations relate to protections under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which requires that complaints be registered promptly and that victims and witnesses be protected from intimidation. Dalit rights groups have for years raised concerns about delayed registration of complaints under the law and about counter-cases being filed against complainants — a practice they argue can deter victims from reporting. Such concerns are allegations that require verification in each individual case.
The report on which this article is based did not include a response from the Dharwad district police to the specific allegations made at the protest, including the claims of delay and of counter-cases. Their version is not yet on record.
Under Indian law, the identity of a child victim of sexual assault cannot be disclosed. This report therefore does not name the minor or identify the village concerned with her case.
The protest ended with the organisations submitting their demands to the office of the Superintendent of Police. It was not immediately clear whether the police had responded to the memorandum.
