The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you to seek your intervention regarding the attempts of a village head in Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh to block the construction of a school for poor local children because of his caste discrimination.
According to our local partner, the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), the village head of Belwa has opposed the opening of a school for Dalit children (so-called “untouchables”), even though it has been approved by the district administration.
The over 1500 Dalits in Belwa (belonging to Musahar, Nut and Kanjar communities) have been demanding the opening of a primary school for their children since around 2000. They have submitted dozens of petitions to various authorities and from time to time have staged processions and approached the District Magistrate and Basic Shiksha Adhikari (Basic Education Officer) in Varanasi. The convener of PVCHR, Dr Lenin Raguvanshi, and convener of Savitri Ba Phule Mahila Panchayat, Mrs Shruti, both have submitted petitions to the Minister of Human Resource Development of the central government,
As a result, the National Human Rights Commission of India in 2001 asked the district administration to submit a report on the need for a school for the Dalits at Belwa (Notice No. 27192/24/2001-2002, 26 November 2001). The Assistant Basic Education Officer of Baragaon, Varanasi then visited the village and found that the total population is 6000, divided into more than 10 sub-villages covering a large area. He also reported on 6 May 2002 that there was only one Government Primary School in the village, situated among the caste Hindu communities. Finally, the Assistant Basic Education Officer of the district informed the villagers through a letter of 13 December 2005 that, “According to the order of Basic Education Officer of district of Varanasi, in the annual agenda of 2006-2007, a proposal has been made to open a primary school in the village.” Soon after, a majority of the Belwa village committee–together with members of the block and district committees–submitted a written proposal to the district administration to construct the school in the vicinity of the Dalit community.
Despite these steps, the school has not been constructed due to the efforts of the Belwa village head to prevent the minority communities from receiving education. The village head of 27 years, Mr Rajendra Tiwari, who has a criminal case pending against him on the charge of keeping bonded labour (Crime No. 114/2002, section 374 of the Indian Penal Code), is instead trying to get the school opened in the area of the caste Hindus. If the school is opened in that area then it is evident that the children of the minority community will again still be deprived of their schooling and fundamental rights.
The actions of Mr Tiwari can only be seen as blatant caste discrimination. Accordingly, your intervention is obliged to uphold the orders of the district administration, the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, and above all else, the will of the people. Additionally, it is necessary in order that India comply with its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, to which it is a party. The feudal mentality of one petty administrator must not stand as an obstacle to the schooling of India’s children and the orders of the state on the same.
We look forward to your immediate action to ensure that all children of Belwa village are able to enjoy fully their right to primary education at the nearest possible time.
Yours sincerely
Basil Fernando
Executive Director
Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong
