‘Death Pits’
On 28th December, 2024, Saturday, more than hundreds of manual scavengers engaged in sewers and septic tank workers, and several families of the victims who had died in the line of duty on the practice of manual scavengers gathered for the public hearing conducted by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti AdhikarManch [DASAM] along with various organisations and unions at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi. The public hearing was attended by various prominent activists from civil rights bodies, academicians, and advocates. So far only one conviction for 75 on-job deaths of workers engaged in plumbing toxic sewers.

Despite being outlawed, the practice of manual scavenging continues to claim the lives of sewer workers across India. The purpose of the public hearing was to provide a platform to hear the plight of families of the victims who lost their lives while cleaning the sewer and septic tanks and those who are still engaged in the obnoxious occupation and how the system responds to their issues. The victims’ families, experts, and advocates came together and demanded systemic reforms and better enforcement of the law.

Several families of sewer workers shared their grief and systemic failure faced in the process of seeking justice, such as being asked for multiple documents for receiving even interim compensation.

l    The jury members of the public hearing were:
Adv. Harnam Singh, Former Chairman of the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis and ex-chairman of the Monitoring Committee, Delhi High Court, Vinod Kumar, Professor of Law and Director, Centre for Human Rights and Subaltern Studies at NLU Delhi, Shweta Tripathi, Executive Director, SRUTI (Society for Rural, Urban, and Tribal Initiatives), Adv. Naresh Bansal, Delhi High Court, Hemlata Kansotia, National Campaign for Dignity and Rights of Sewerage and Allied Workers.

At the end of the public hearing, the jury members presented their recommendations and observations urging the government to address the problems faced by sewer workers and take immediate action.
Sanjeev Kumar
Dalit Adivasi Shakti AdhikarManch (DASAM)
[For more details, please contact +91 8491052270 or +91 7065721374.]
Mobile: (+91) 99587 97409
Phone: +91 1143305316
Email: sanjeevdanda@gmail.com dashaktimanch@gmail.com

‘Jai Sri Ram’
Bharatiya Janata Party was celebrating Atal Bihari Bajpayee’s birthday in Patna on December 27, 2024. The singer invited to that programme started the programme with a respectful salute to Mother India, Atology. Gandhiji’s favourite song of freedom movement, Jai Jai Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram started the song. When she sang in the heart of the song, God Allah is your name. Immediately started Dhundhuma’s incident. 70/80 people present in the meeting were shouting Jai Shri Ram. Even the entrepreneurs on the stage keep shouting Jai Shri Ram from the stage. The singer is asked to stop this song; she wants to sing this song. The singer means God has no religion, He resides in all religions. But the singer has to stop this song under the pressure of entrepreneurs. He is forced to shout Jai Shri Ram.
Kajal Mukherjee, Kolkata

Facing Closure
You all know that the entire social movement and NGOs are going through a very serious phase. Due to a lack of resources, a large number of social movements have become inactive, and those who are left are facing many struggles.

PMARC’s two most important interventions Dalit Media Watch and Justice News are going through a deep economic crisis.

You all know very well that for the last 18 years while working continuously for 365 days of the year, we have been making a significant contribution in the wide publicity dissemination and coordination of information and dialogue related to various issues of people’s movements and deprived classes.

PMARC’s most important initiatives “Dalit Media Watch” and “Justice News” (justicenews.co.in) have been making a significant contribution in sensitizing the country’s intellectual class, social movements, civil society, HR mechanisms and platforms, and various sections of society against various types of atrocities, especially atrocities against the Dalit class, and in favour of the victims, and favour of the victims.

Most importantly, these successes have been achieved so far without any regular or permanent resources. In which the personal contribution and cooperation of some people from time to time has played a very big role. This cooperation has always been received in special circumstances.

We are deeply grateful to all those people.

Unfortunately, now all such sources have ended and we all have come under a very big imminent danger. Our biggest compulsion is also that we have prepared an experienced trained team with long-term efforts, after whose disbandment it will take a long time and resources to restart this entire intervention.
Everyone is aware of the situation we are facing today and the biggest need of the time is that we all ensure through our collective efforts that our information, communication and coordination institutions continue to play their role uninterruptedly.

Therefore, we humbly appeal to all of you to help us strengthen the efforts of democracy and civil rights by contributing.
PMRARC

Our Bank details:
PEOPLES MEDIA ADVOCACY & RESOURCES CENTRE-PAMRC
A/c. No. 0302010179713
Punjab National Bank
IFSC code: PUNB0030220
Hazratganj, Lucknow (UP), India

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 29, Jan 12 - 18, 2025