Indian Express: Ahmedabad: Sunday, March 08, 2015.
Rape of Dalit
women rose in Gujarat over the last 13 years, reaching the highest in 2014,
higher by 500 per cent since 2001, says an RTI reply. The reply to an RTI
application by Mehsana-based human rights activist Kaushik Parmar, from the
office of Director General of Police (DGP), Gujarat, revealed that 74 Dalit
women were allegedly raped and cases were registered under the provisions of
the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act, in 2014.
According to
the RTI reply, dated February 23, 2015 provided by Deputy Superintendent of
Police of DGP Office, G M Malek the number records five-time increase in the
rape incidents against Dalit women, compared to 2001 when only 14 such cases
were recorded.
The data
provided in reply to the RTI application reveal that total 501 rape cases were
registered between January 2001 and December 2014. Incidentally, the Government
of Gujarat launched the women’s helpline ‘Abhayam’ in November that year for
the state to check atrocities on women.
The figures
are in stark contrast to the state government’s claims on women’s empowerment,
like 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, enforcing 33 per cent
reservation for women in police force and highest Budget allocation for social
sector. Commenting on the data, Parmar said, “The five-fold increase in the
number of rape cases in Gujarat even when the chief minister is a woman shows
that the tall claims of Gujarat Government on women empowerment and social
harmony are hollow.”
Minister of
State (Home), Rajnikant Patel, could not be contacted despite repeated
attempts.
The RTI reply
also provided data, as sought by Parmar, on the number of villages in Gujarat
where Dalits were provided police protection against local influential
communities in different districts. According to the reply, police protection
has presently been provided to Dalits by the government in 116 villages of the
state.
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